Darksiders: A Ruby's Shadow
by guardian xela
Summary: Death has slain Absalom and thrown himself into the Well of Souls to sacrifice the Nephilim souls, resurrecting Humanity and erasing his brother's crime. A noble deed...but it brings up one question: was that the end of it? This story takes that question and gives it one simple answer: no.
1. Chapter 1

Darksiders: A Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 1

In a gargantuan, dimly lit cave was a gigantic tree even more impressive in size, its top impossible to see from the cave. Some of its very roots were thicker than busses, others as thick as men. All towered over one another in the cave, clinging to the walls as they upheld the tree from falling into the abyss below it. An abyss which, if one were to look down into, was filled with a swirling vortex of a deathly white miasma made up of the screaming and wailing souls of the dead, all calling out in pain and suffering. In the middle of this vortex stood a tall stone pillar of large diameter, able to fit over a hundred people upon its flat top before being filled. The cave, the pillar, the swirling vortex of phantoms…all of this, was the Well of Souls.

Upon the pillar's surface were two beings of great power, one of death and one of decay. The one of death was a pale figure, tall and muscular but not overly bulky. What appeared to be a part of his spine stood out on his back, obvious to those who looked upon it. Black, slick hair fell straight down to his bare shoulders. A bone mask with only eye holes and a nose hole showed any indication of a face: orange eyes, radiating hatred and fatigue. Stabbed into his chest, on the right pectoral, were pieces of a green gem, pieces that seem to radiate power and wails similar to that of the souls below. Other than the mask, the only clothes that the figure wore were leather gauntlets with metal finger coverings, black pants covered in straps and leather armor, and leather greaves for boots. Hanging at his sides were two small scythes, the silver-colored blades folded into the ivory handles. Overall, this very person radiated power and despair with his mere presence alone. This was Death, the eldest Horseman of the Apocalypse and one of the last members of the Nephilim race.

As for the being of decay, he was a gargantuan being, even dwarfing Death himself were he to stand tall. Instead, he was on the ground. With his musculature overshadowing that of Death's, there was no mistaking the giant for physically weak. Skin of a similar pallet of Death, he had pure yellow eyes that glowed a malicious light. With fang-filled mouth open, that same light shone from within his body as well. The crown of his head sprouted bone-like spikes, the back of his head covered by a cloth. Like Death, this being was without a cover for his torso. But that did not mean he had no armor. His entire left arm, nearly twice as thick as his already buff and veiny right arm, was covered on one side with white crystals that pierced out from within like quills, all the way down to where the lower arm was severed off, also revealing the yellow light. Where his shoulder met neck and further down, there was a deep wound. Below him on the ground, his blood pooled. Blood that was not dark red, but black as sin. There lay Absalom, former Avatar of Chaos. Former brother of Death. Now dead.

Mere moments ago, a great battle between them had just finished, the outcome of which would decide the fate of existence itself. Had Death been the victor, creation would be saved from Corruption, a black, inky substance that brought hate and evil to those that it touched. No one was safe from its infection, be they angel, demon, or other. None, save Death. Why? No one knew, not for certain. Had Absalom been the victor, all of creation would be tainted by Corruption, and then destroyed soon after. As Death was the victor, existence itself was safe…for now.

Death trudged towards the edge of the pillar, shoulders slumped and face pointed down in a tired manner as he stared down at the swirling souls below.

" **...I've killed Absalom, stopped the Corruption,"** he said, staring ahead at nothing in particular. **"I stand, at last, at the Well of Souls…"**

He then began to chuckle, though more out of irony than finding the situation humorous, his gaze pointing up for a moment in his soliloquy.

"… **with no idea what I must do next."**

"It is quite simple," said an old, gravelly voice to his right, prompting Death to turn his gaze. "And yet, most difficult."

The being next to him was a literal ghost of a man that appeared out of nowhere. Or at least, man in appearance. In appearance, he was ancient, wrinkled and somewhat gaunt. His entire being was tinted in pale green. His beard and eyebrows were deathly white, the beard consisting only of mutton chops and chin hair, both of which were several inches long. His hands, gnarled from age, sported claw-like nails at their ends. His eyes, meanwhile were of solid green, giving off the impression of blindness on first glance. He wore several robes, shrouds, and a stole, all of which seemed tattered. The top-most shroud covering his shoulders and nape appeared to be made of crow feathers, giving him a somewhat avian appearance. Around his neck and waist were chains that bound a few random items upon him, including a few lanterns, an orb, and an old tome. The chains ended in large manacles around his wrists, one of which had been severed off from the links. This was the Crowfather, keeper of secrets.

" **I'm in no humor for riddles, Crowfather,"** Death said as a crow flew in.

"You may tap the power of the Well to return the Kingdom of Man," he said, the crow landing on his shoulder, "…or you may resurrect the Nephilim. But know that choosing one will forever doom the other."

Death sighed in a tired tone as he shook his head, like he somehow knew this kind of choice would happen but had hoped it wouldn't. He looked down in a moment of contemplation, weighing his choices and pondering the likely consequences of each. As the moment ended, he looked to the Crowfather and had his decision.

" **My brother, War…I would protect him above all,"** he said, straightening with resolve.

"To return Man to the Earth," said Crowfather, placing a hand upon Death's shoulder, "will require a sacrifice."

Death placed his hand upon the green crystals embedded into his chest for a short moment before pulling it back, looking upon the green wisps of souls that lingered for a few seconds on his fingers and whispered their agony and secrets to him. After another moment, he walked up to the edge of the pillar, one foot at the slightly elevated end. But before taking the final step, he raised his hand to his mask and grasped it, gently pulling it off with a soft snap and dropping it into the surprised hands of the Crowfather. With that out of the way, he placed his other foot on the edge and tilted forward, arms held out in a cross before the vortex of souls swallowed him in a ball of white light, lasting for a few seconds before returning to normal. No trace of the Horseman remained, save for the mask in the Crowfather's hands.

The Crowfather, meanwhile, looked down upon the swirling souls in contemplation and reminiscence of Death and all he had done, both for good and bad. Though he and Death were not friends, nor were they truly enemies…well, not for long at least. Death had been the one to kill the Crowfather, it was true. But nevertheless, the Crowfather had helped him find access to the Tree of Life, to the Well of Souls for the sake of the Balance…that had to mean something, did it not? He looked once again at the mask, staring at it before sighing in decision. Gliding his finger gently against the crow, he carefully plucked a loose feather from the bird and pressed it against the inside of the mask, a green glow emanating from it for a moment before it all faded into the mask.

"Watch over him, Dust," he said to the crow, which tilted its head in curiosity. "After all, _**his**_ story…is far from over."

The crow cawed once before jumping onto the mask and grasping it, taking off into the air and then diving down into the vortex of souls.

* * *

Remnant. A world orbited by a partly shattered moon. A world where black and bone-white, soulless creatures known as Grimm harassed and hunted down the humans. A world where humans fought back on a constant basis, utilizing fantastical weapons and an elemental energy source simply known as Dust. In short, Remnant was a world of struggle, fear, and hope.

The city of Vale was somewhat peaceful that night, if tense. It was understandable, considering what it had gone through during the day. As a consequence of the actions of a terrorist organization known as the White Fang, Grimm had flooded into the city from underground, attacking the civilians and causing havoc and destruction. The Hunters and Huntresses, defenders of the human race and the ones that can fight off the Grimm, valiantly defended the city and its people as they slaughtered the monsters. Though the people were safe, it would be some time before they would completely relax. In the meantime, the military and the Hunters and Huntresses would be there to protect them.

That night, on the helipad at the outskirts of Beacon Academy, the colossal school in Vale that taught those who wished to be Hunters and Huntresses, a teenage girl sat on the ground and looked at the stars. She and her teammates, Team RWBY, were present when the Grimm had attacked Vale. In fact, they were underground and had tried to stop White Fang from releasing Grimm into the city at the beginning, but failed. All of the military and teams of Hunters and Huntresses were able to keep casualties and damages to a minimum, but the damage was still done. People were still hurt, and now many of them were afraid of another attack. This was part of the reason why the young girl was out and about, looking at the stars. She was worried about what could have happened, but more than that: she had a feeling that something big was going to happen soon, but she had no idea what it could be. And it was both scary and exciting.

The girl was petite and short, wearing a black long-sleeved blouse and skirt, the skirt with red trimming and a belt with bullets along her left hip, as well as dark grey leggings, black laced boots, and most prominently a long red cloak. Shoulder length dark hair hung down her face, the bangs on the right side curved slightly to resemble a crescent. Her eyes, a light silver color, kept looking at the stars as she kept pondering. At her side was a red mechanical contraption one third her length, compact and only a little thicker than a rifle. This was Ruby Rose, freshman student of Beacon Academy and leader of Team RWBY.

As she sat there, a small smile graced her face for a moment as she hummed a small tune and looked upon the night sky, pondering the future. Currently she was wondering about an upcoming tournament that she and the rest of the Beacon students would participate in. It was a tournament designed with good will and peace between the many nations and the four Hunter schools of the world, part of a nearly month-long festival that had started days prior. She figured that she and her team were ready for it, but anything could happen. As much as she tried not to, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen. Thinking about that led her to thinking about the Grimm attack again, which wiped the smile off her face.

So lost in thought she was that she didn't notice someone was behind her until they tapped her on the shoulder, prompting her to look behind her. Standing there was another teenage girl, one that she knew closely. She had fair skin, black wavy hair down to her mid back, amber eyes lightly filled with curiosity and a hint of worry as she looked at Ruby, and purple eyeshadow applied lightly to the ends of her eyes. She wore a big black bow on top of her head, a white sleeveless undershirt, with a black buttoned vest with coattails over it, as well as white shorts, black ribbons around her arms, a black arm sleeve and silver band on her left arm, a scarf-like collar around her neck, black low-arch boots, and stockings that faded from black to purple going down to her boots. Strapped to her back was what appeared to be a rectangular sword in its sheathe, black in color. This was one of the girls on Team RWBY, one of Ruby's most cherished teammates and friends. This was Blake Belladonna.

"Oh, hey Blake," said Ruby, the smile returning. "I didn't hear you come over."

"Obviously," Blake said. "I called your name earlier, but you didn't hear."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Just…lost in thought, that's all."

"What kind of thoughts?"

"Just...I had a bad feeling, so I came here to think about it. And then that led to thinking about today, and what's going to happen in the next few weeks. Wondering how the tournament will go, and when we'll have to fight the bad guys again."

"That…doesn't really sound like you at all, Ruby," Blake said, sitting next to her. "I mean, thinking about the tournament, sure. That's you. I've been thinking about that, too. But worrying about when we'll have to fight White Fang? That sounds like something Weiss would worry about…something _I_ would worry about. "

"I know. It's just, well, after what happened these past few days, I can't help but think about it. I mean, we tried to stop them from bringing the Grimm into Vale, but we failed. It makes me wonder what will happen, what they'll try next time."

"Ruby, we've been over this already."

"Hey guys, what's up?!" called out another voice.

Ruby and Blake turned to look towards the new arrival. Walking towards them with a smile was a young, pale, teenage girl with lilac eyes and bright blonde, messy hair going down to her hips. She wore a brown vest with puffy cap sleeves that ended in black cuffs and revealed a bit of midriff; an orange infinity scarf wrapped loosely around her neck; black fingerless gloves with what appeared to be two yellow over them; a yellow low-cut crop top under the vest that showed some cleavage; black shorts and a white back skirt covering her rear; a brown buckled belt over the skirt that had a small pouch and what appeared to be a small banner with a crest of a burning heart; and brown knee-high platform boots, with orange socks of different lengths and a gray bandana-like cloth wrapped around the top of her left boot. As she walked, she gave off an air of being happy and carefree. This was the sister of Ruby and a proud member of Team RWBY. This was Yang Xiao Long.

"Hey, sis," called out Ruby, waving her over. "Just talking. Where've you been?"

"Went for a walk, needed some air," she said, sitting on the other side of Ruby. "…you okay, Rubes?"

"Yeah, just…thinking about the tournament, and when we may have to fight the bad guys again."

"Those guys again? Ruby, we literally beat them just a few hours ago. I'm sure we can beat them again. "

"I know, I know. It's just that, well, I have this feeling…that something big is going to happen soon. I can't really explain it, it's just –"

"A gut instinct?" Yang asked.

"…yeah, something like that. And after what we've been through today, it's got me worried."

"Ruby, whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it. I mean, we've done so with what's happened so far, right?"

"She's right, Ruby. Whatever's worrying you, I'm sure everything'll be fine."

"How'd I know that you girls would be here?" said a fourth voice behind them.

All three girls turned around to find another girl walking towards them, a smirk on her face. This one had long white hair tied in an off-center ponytail a little to her right and with a small tiara at the base, as well as blue eyes, one of which had a small scar going over it, and a pale complexion similar to Yang. She wore a sleeveless dress that ended mid-thigh, one that started as pale blue at the bottom but faded to white at the top, a long ribbon tied around her waist and a black lace covering any cleavage the dress may have shown. She also wore a pale blue bolero jacket above the dress that had a snowflake symbol on the back, the inner collar being red. Around her neck was a necklace with a small silver apple on it, and on her ears were small rectangle dangling earrings. Tucked under the ribbon on her dress was what appeared to be a rapier with a revolver-like barrel under the guard, while at the back of her dress and held by the ribbon was a small bag the same color as her dress. Upon her feet were white, heel wedged boots that went up to mid-calf. Speaking of feet, at hers was a black and white Corgi making its way towards Ruby, barking happily as he did so. The dog's name was Zwei, while the girl, the last member of Team RWBY, was Weiss Schnee.

"Hey, Weiss!" Ruby said with a smile, hugging the Corgi as it snuggled into her. "I thought you were going to sleep?"

"I was, but then Zwei here woke me up," she said, sitting between Ruby and Blake – who unsubtly moved as far away as she could from the dog. "I figured he needed to use the bathroom, and I wasn't exactly leaving the dorm in my pajamas."

"Wait," said Yang. "You took the time to get dressed up in full gear, just to walk Zwei?"

"Like I said, I'm not walking around in my pajamas. Besides, after everything that's happened today, I'll admit that I'm a bit…jumpy. I figured a quick walk would settle my nerves. But what about you, girls? What are you doing out here?"

"Same," said Blake.

"Yeah, needed some air," said Yang.

"I…had a lot on my mind," said Ruby.

"Is this about the Tournament? Because you know we're more than prepared for it," said Weiss.

"It's not that…well, yes, I'm excited and worried about the tournament, but it's just…I had a bad feeling, and after what happened today it got me worried about what'll happen."

"Ruby…I'll admit, I'm worried, too. But whatever's coming our way, we'll handle it. We always have."

"…yeah, you're right. You're all right. I guess I just needed a reminder from you all."

"Hey, anytime, right?" asked Yang. "We're team RWBY, after all."

"And more than that, we're friends," said Blake. "That's what we're here for. We've got your back, no matter what happens."

"Obviously," said Weiss.

Ruby smiled again, Zwei reaching up to lick her face and eliciting a laugh from her and the rest. As they sat there, the mood lightened up significantly, allowing the girls to relax. As they did, Ruby looked up to the sky in appreciation of the support of her team…just in time to see a bright, twinkling green star.

"Hey, look! A wishing star!" she exclaimed, prompting the girls and dog to look as well.

"Ooh, I've never seen one that bright!" exclaimed Yang.

"I've never seen one that…green?" Blake said, tilting her head in curiosity.

"…is it just me, or is that star getting bigger?" asked Weiss.

The girls looked at Weiss for a moment before looking at the star again. Slowly but surely enough, it was getting bigger. This worried the girls, all four getting up and dropping Zwei on his feet before they drew their weapons. Ruby's red contraption unfolded and grew into a giant red scythe. Blake drew her sword, revealing it to be a custom-shaped black katana. Yang's bracelets expanded into yellow punching gauntlets. Weiss drew her rapier and pressed a button that spun the revolver in it. All four girls were armed and ready to receive whatever was going to happen, Zwei barking a few times as he looked at the star.

In a matter of minutes, the star suddenly shot over them as a green meteor, going past the large school with a loud _**whoosh**_ before making its way towards the other side of Vale, closer towards the outskirts. The girls watched as it descended, waiting until…

 **BOOM!**

The town shook for a few seconds from the impact of the meteorite, several car alarms going off, lights flickering, and glass shattering or cracking. The girls themselves almost lost balance but kept it during the tremor. When it stopped, they looked at each other, a silent agreement passing between them. In a burst of speed Team RWBY and Zwei raced to where the meteorite had crashed.

After several minutes of racing towards the crash site, the group finally made it to the smoking crater at the outer edge of the forest next to Vale. It was a little over thirteen yards in diameter, about the size of a school bus and half as deep. The smoke and debris made it difficult for the girls to see what the object looked like, but there was clearly something there. Ruby in particular wasn't sure, but she thought that the silhouette was shaped like a human being. Impatient, she used her Semblance – her personal embodiment of aura, an innate ability that all beings with souls had on that world – to rush around the perimeter of the crater at high speeds to create an air funnel, venting out the smoke. After several seconds of doing so, she finally stopped, the smoke finally gone.

"You know, I could have used my sigils to clear out the smoke," Weiss said.

"Yeah, but my way was faster," said Ruby. "Besides, it -"

"Guys?" interrupted Blake, who was looking into the crater. "There's a body in the crater."

All talking stopped when everyone looked into the crater and found, sure enough, a person in the center of the crater, facedown. Ruby led the way as the four girls and the dog jumped down, rushing to the person. They all noticed that this person was a big guy, at least a foot bigger than them and with decent muscles on him. What appeared to be a part of his spine was sticking out of his back, but there was no blood or sign of pierced skin. He wore black pants with leather boots and metal armor pieces strapped to them, as well as leather gauntlets with metal finger coverings. Also, he was pale, almost like a corpse. Ruby momentarily thought he was dead because of this, but she then saw the rise and fall of his back, signifying breath. To be certain, however, she rushed to his side and, momentarily placing her scythe on the ground, checked for a pulse on his neck. It was faint, but it was definitely there.

"Girls, let's turn him over," Ruby said, going next to him. "We should check to see how badly he's been hurt."

"Flip him over? Whoever this man is, he either just got hit by a meteor OR just fell from the sky going faster than the speed of sound!" exclaimed Weiss. "Oh, and I'm pretty sure that his spine is sticking out of his back! I think it's a miracle he's still breathing! And you want to just flip him over?!"

"He should be fine if we're gentle," Ruby said. "Weiss, if you use your glyphs you can keep him from hitting the ground too hard. It should keep him from getting hurt."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Great! Yang?"

"On it," Yang said, going over and attempting to turn him over. "Jeez, he's heavy! The hell's he been eating?"

After several seconds of struggling with his weight and with Weiss's glyphs – her Semblance, the ability to create giant symbols around her that could affect movement and, with the application of Dust, generate elemental attacks– they were able to gently flip him over onto his back. Once he was there, the four girls couldn't help but gasp in shock when they saw him. He had several deep scrapes on his chest and shoulders from the impact, most of them bleeding. He also had what appeared to be three small holes on his right pectoral, like they were where something was torn out of him. But the most gruesome damage of all was his face. It was burnt, to the point where it was unrecognizable. It looked fresh, and it was amazing that his shoulder length slick black hair hadn't been burned off from the entry into the atmosphere, or from the impact. If it weren't for his sudden moaning and slight movement of his mouth, they wouldn't have been able to tell what part of his face was which.

"I reiterate," said Weiss. "The fact that he's breathing, is a miracle."

"We need to get him some help, now," Ruby said. "Who's got their scroll on them?"

Blake pulled hers out, which was essentially a translucent tablet between two white pieces that had many different applications – one of them being long-distance communication to another Scroll – and began to dial for help. Weiss, meanwhile, reached into her bag and pulled out a small first-aid kit, asking Yang to hold the man's face steady. Ruby, meanwhile, chose to keep an eye on their surroundings to make sure nothing would attack them, since they were at the edge of the forest. To help with this she pushed a button that transformer her scythe into a specialized custom sniper rifle, almost as long as she was. She kept it trained on the forest, but she couldn't help but look at the stranger again, asking herself the obvious question.

"Who is this guy, and what happened to him?"


	2. Chapter 2

Darksiders: The Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 2

Ten minutes had passed by since Team RWBY had reached the mysterious man. By this point Blake had gotten in contact with emergency rescuers, while Weiss and Yang were able to treat his bleeding wounds and apply Dust-based emergency burn salve to his face, wrapping it in medical gauze to prevent further damage. So far Ruby did not detect any threats coming towards them but she kept her guard up. She kept an ear open to listen to her teammates while she kept her vision trained on the forest.

"Guys, the paramedics are on their way," Blake said, hanging up her scroll. "They should be here in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, good," Weiss said. "That means he'll get better treatment than what I can do. I'm glad that I got that emergency medical kit."

"Think they'll need help moving him?" Yang asked, setting the stranger's head back down to the ground. "He's pretty heavy, even for a guy his size."

"I'm sure they'll be able to move him," Weiss said. "I mean, it's not like they're going to just carry him to the hospital on foot, right? They'll be getting here in an ambulance."

"She's right," Blake said. "Which just leaves us with keeping him safe until they get here. Any signs of Grimm, Ruby?"

"Nothing, yet," Ruby said, still keeping an eye on their surroundings. "And hopefully we won't have to worry about –"

All of a sudden, Zwei looked towards the forest and began barking, grabbing the girls' attention. Soon they all heard it: the growls and roars of monsters getting closer. Weiss and Blake picked up their swords while Yang readied her fists. Ruby pushed a button and transformed her sniper rifle back into a scythe, still pointing the muzzle towards the forest. As soon as they were ready, Grimm began to emerge from the inner forest, all black with bone-white faces and spikes along their limbs. Ruby could see at least twelve at the moment, but she could tell that there were more behind them. All were bipedal lupines with claws on five-fingered hands and sharp fangs. And all were glaring hungrily at the group. Beowolves.

"Spoke too soon," she said. "Yang, help me thin them out. Everyone else, form up around the stranger. We protect him till help arrives."

Yang nodded before jumping next to her sister and cocking her fists back, a sound akin to a cocked shotgun coming from her gauntlets. Ruby pulled back the hammer of her scythe, ready to shoot once the Grimm made their move. Meanwhile, Blake, Weiss, and Zwei each readied themselves in their own ways. The girl in black and white pulled her sheathe off of her back, revealing its own cutting edge as she did so. The one in white and blue readied two red Glyphs in front of Yang and Ruby, a red aura permeating from the revolving chamber in her sword. The corgi, meanwhile, crouched and began to growl in preparation. The Grimm stayed where they were, growling and assessing the situation. No one moved. No one struck.

For about seven seconds.

The first to move were the Grimm, charging forth with fangs and claws at the ready. As soon as they charged forth, Yang and Ruby made their move. Yang punched the air in front of her, her gauntlets sending out blasts of yellow shockwaves that rocketed towards her targets. Ruby, meanwhile, pulled the trigger and fired off rounds at her targets. Both attacks passed through the red Glyphs, becoming red and gaining fire-like properties. As each attack connected, they would explode with the force and heat of a grenade, killing or disorientating any Grimm that got too close. This tactic prevented any Grimm from getting too close for some time, but soon two or three made it to the two sisters and swiped at them, forcing them to jump back and stop their attacks momentarily. The glyphs disappeared soon after, no longer in use.

Yang and Ruby took to taking the head on approach, punching and slicing at the Grimm as they got closer. The remaining three, meanwhile, surrounded the stranger from different sides to protect him. Yang and Ruby were able to destroy most of the Grimm heading their way, but soon a few made it past them, going straight for the others. The first to approach them ran face first into a white glyph that suddenly appeared, which was soon followed by Weiss' rapier to the neck. The next Beowolf that approached the group was subjected to dual black blades that severed the arms and head from the torso, courtesy of Blake. The third one, meanwhile, was tackled in the groin by Zwei before being knocked upside the head and landing on its back. This one was then decapitated by one of Blake's blades before she resumed the fight.

The fight raged on for five minutes, the girls not letting a single Grimm get past them. Their bodies slowly faded into dust as they fell, leaving no signs of the battle save the damage to the surroundings. Soon, none of the attacking Grimm were left, allowing the girls a reprieve.

"Anyone hurt?" Ruby asked.

"I think we're okay," Blake said, sheathing her smaller blade.

"Of course we're okay," Weiss said. "If anything, this should be our warmup by now."

"That was a warmup?" Yang asked with a smirk. "I didn't even break a sweat!"

"You know, I think this is the first time we've fought Grimm while trying to protect a single target," Ruby said. "I mean, outside of training."

"Yeah, you're right," Yang said, thinking about it. "I think we did pretty good for our first time."

"We're not done yet," Blake said, holding her now sheathed sword at the ready. "We still need to hold out until the ambulance gets here, and with our luck there's bound to be more Grimm heading this way."

"Blake's right," Weiss said, also readying here blade. "Those were just Beowolves, and young ones at that. I just hope that we don't have to –"

"Let's not finish that sentence," Yang said. "As much as I _love_ a good fight, I don't want you jinxing us, not if we have to protect someone in a coma."

As soon as she finished her sentence, the cawing of crows came from farther in the forest, small ones flying above the trees. As they cawed, the stranger began to groan and move his face, catching everyone's attention. Blake and Zwei both knelt next to him to see if he was in pain, but she couldn't find anything. That is until his body suddenly began to glow a pale purple light, the light coming off of him in wisps as he began to murmur something that none there could make out.

"Is…is that his Aura?" Weiss asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure," Blake said. "If it is, then I've never seen Aura shaped like…smoke."

"Whatever it is, he looks like he's in pain," Ruby said. "You think there's anything we can do to help?"

"I don't know. But…hey, does anyone else feel a little…cold?"

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little chilly," Weiss said, rubbing her arm with her free hand. "How did it get so chilly all of a sudden?"

"Maybe it's this guy's Semblance?" Ruby asked. "I mean, he –"

"Guys?" Yang said, still looking at the forest. "We've got Grimm."

Everyone looked forward…and their eyes widened at what they saw. Though not nearly as many as the last wave they had fought, the Grimm that they saw were _much_ bigger than the last ones, and more diverse. Not only Beowolves twice as big as the last batch, but also bear-like Grimm, two giant snakes connected at the tails with heads as big as cars, one snake black and the other white, and what appeared to be giant boars with mammoth-like tusks. Ursas, a King Taijitu, and Boarbatusks, respectively. All were as big as or bigger than the last batch of Beowolves. And all were glaring that the group with killing intent.

"Well, Yang, you said you didn't 'break a sweat' with that last batch," Weiss said, cocking the revolver-like chamber in her sword. "How's this for a challenge?"

"Yeah, this'll work," Yang said.

"Why aren't they moving?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Weiss said. "If I had to guess, they're waiting to see what we'll do. These Grimm must be much older ones. They've learned."

"I count at least twenty-four," Blake said, both blades out. "Which leaves six for each of us, not counting Zwei or any other Grimm that show up."

"No, twelve for two of us," Ruby said, confusing the other three. "Yang, you, Zwei, and Weiss grab the stranger and get him to safety. Blake and I'll hold off the Grimm."

"What?! Ruby, are you insane?!" Yang yelled.

"We're not leaving you here with those things!" Weiss exclaimed.

"I'm not asking you to!" Ruby responded. "Just get him somewhere out of the way and then come back to help. You two are the only ones who can even move him."

Yang clearly wanted to argue against Ruby, but after considering their situation she kept her mouth shut on the matter. Instead of grabbing the stranger, she walked forward a few steps and slammed her fists together; creating a small harmless shockwave.

"Let me get in and take a few hits, first. With my Semblance, it'll make moving his body easier and Weiss'll just have to cover me."

"Alright. Weiss, Blake, get ready to attack in case any get past her."

The girls all nodded, watching as Yang ran into the group of Grimm. The smallest of the monsters, a Boarbatusk the size of a lion, charged forwards to meet and kill her while the rest stayed back to watch. Yang raised her right fist when she was ten feet from it, ready to punch, when the boar suddenly tucked its head in and went into a roll like a tire; its tusks acting like a dull circular saw blade. Yang saw this coming and punched anyways, her fist connecting with the Grimm and creating a yellow shockwave like before. Both were sent backwards from each other, the Grimm having taken less damage from the impact and still spinning. Before Yang could retaliate, she was tackled by the spinning warthog and sent flying into a nearby tree. The impact left an indent into the trunk but Yang got up like it was a minor hit. Yang charged forward to attack the Boarbatusk, this time dodging the monster's tusks and punching straight at its chin and killing it. The monster fell but it was soon followed by one of the Beowolves. She ducked its initial swipe and went for an uppercut. She missed and took a kick from its hind leg to the gut; shoved back five feet before blocking another swipe and counterattacking. This time her punch landed, leaving its arm to dangle at its side. It attempted to bite at her but she dodged left and kneed it in the chin before elbowing its skull. With a loud thump, it collapsed lifelessly onto the ground, beginning to disintegrate. Before any other Grimm could attack; Yang jumped back to the girls, her hair now glowing like a flame.

"That should do it," she said, picking the stranger up and slinging his arm over her neck. "Be back in a minute! C'mon, Weiss!"

"Right!" she exclaimed before following her back into the city, Zwei literally at her heels.

As soon as the three started moving was the moment the Grimm charged as one. Ruby and Blake charged forward to meet them, both girls taking down Grimm as fast as they can. Ruby used the rifle in her scythe to propel herself forward before swinging the blade up into the head of an Ursa; shooting again to both rip the blade out and blast a hole through its chest. Blake, meanwhile, slashed and stabbed an Ursa and a Beowolf respectively. The werewolf dropped but the bear kept slashing at her, forcing her to jump back. To finish it off, she pressed a button on her smaller sword and changed it into a pistol, its blade now at the top of the barrel, pointing backwards. She aimed its sights at the Grimm's left eye and fired, the bullet passing through its skull. As it dropped, Blake took that moment to aim at another Grimm…only to realize that none of the other monsters were even looking at her or Ruby. They had run past them.

"Ruby!" she exclaimed. "They're going after Yang and Weiss!"

"What?!" exclaimed Ruby. "I'll cut them off and slow them down! You pick off as many as you can from the rear!"

"Got it!"

Ruby took off at super speed, rose petals trailing after her as she rushed to intercept the Grimm. When she was approximately one-hundred meters ahead of them, Yang's group not too far, she stopped and changed her scythe back into a rifle picking off as many monsters as she could. On the other side of the Grimm, Blake chased after them and shot them with her pistol having to shoot each one at least three times before they would go down. By the time Ruby had to change back to her scythe, eight Grimm were left standing. This time, because of the immediate threat, the monsters stopped giving chase and stared the two girls down. After a moment of silence, the monsters split into two groups, each group going for a different girl.

Meanwhile, Yang's group, now close to the residential area of Vale, stopped for a moment to see how their teammates were doing.

"Think they're alright?" Weiss asked.

"Well, it looks like they cut down the Grimm by half and we're not being chased anymore," Yang said, Zwei barking in agreement. "I'd say they're good. Now c'mon, let's get this guy somewhere safe."

Suddenly, the man in her arms groaned, grabbing their attention. He lifted his head a bit, eyes slowly opening.

"… **wh...where…what…?"**

"Easy, big guy," Yang said. "You took a heavy hit from the meteor. We're getting you somewhere safe."

" **Safe? I…I don't…"**

"Maybe we should put him down for a bit," Weiss suggested.

Yang nodded before approaching a nearby tree, gently sitting him down. He was obviously dazed and confused but at least he was conscious.

"Alright, let's make this simple," Yang said. "Weiss and I, we'll be right back. We gotta kill some monsters. You stay here with Zwei, the dog."

" **Mon…monsters?"**

"Yeah, monsters. The ones back there. My sister and friend, they're both holding them back but Weis and I –"

She was interrupted by a familiar scream, pulling everyone's attention. Ruby had been sent flying and landed a hundred or so meters away from them. She stood back up but from the way her shoulder was positioned and how gingerly she was holding her arm it was obvious she had dislocated it. The worst part, however, was the fast approaching Grimm; two Beowolves and the King Taijitu. Yang and Weiss responded, the former shooting shockwaves at the Beowolves and the latter using a glyph to send balls of fire at the two snakes. The smaller Grimm were stunned and knocked onto their backs but the two snakes kept moving despite the flames. And they were heading straight for Ruby.

" **RUBY!"** exclaimed Yang, running towards her.

As soon as Yang and Weiss had moved forward by a meter, something rushed past them; something that made a grab for the scythe and kept running. Yang saw that it was the stranger, running straight for the King Taijitu with Ruby's scythe in his right hand. He jumped in the air before hurling it at the beasts, the weapon spinning like a thrown knife. That was the last that Yang paid attention to him before she and Weiss made it to Ruby, assessing her damage.

"How bad is it?" Ruby asked.

"It's just dislocated," Yang said. "Weiss, make some ice. I'll pop it back in. Relax for a bit, Rubes."

Ruby took in a deep breath, and as soon as she exhaled, Yang popped her shoulder back into place; Ruby yelping in pain. Weiss, meanwhile, activated the Dust in her sword before stabbing at the ground, sprouting a small circle of ice. She cut a piece of it off before handing it to Yang, who placed it on Ruby's shoulder and tied it down with Ruby's cloak. Zwei, meanwhile, walked up to Ruby and rubbed against her leg in comfort.

"Keep that there," Yang said. "Stay here for a bit, Weiss and I'll go slay those snakes."

"Yang, I don't think that will be necessary," Weiss said in bewilderment.

"What?" Yang asked, looking at her in confusion. "Why not?"

"It seems our guest has more than taken care of them."

She pointed forward, prompting both girls to look and drop their jaws. What they saw were the many disintegrating pieces of the black snake strewn all over the road, the white snake wounded and actually trying to get away. But before it could, the stranger swung the scythe down into the King Taijitu's neck, pinning it down. He left it there as the monster struggled, walking up to the creature's head as it hissed and snapped at him. After staring into its red eyes for a few seconds, he drove his fist down on its head, the impact cracking the ground underneath and silencing it for good. After killing it he looked towards his right, where the sounds of another battle could be heard. With that he picked up Ruby's scythe and looked at the girls for a moment.

" **I need to borrow this,"** he said before running off.

"Well, that was a thing," Yang said, still awestruck.

"Yes, that was, brutal," Weiss said.

"Wait a minute," Ruby said. " **HE JUST TOOK CRESCENT ROSE!** "

Ruby rushed off in a Semblance-enhanced rush leaving the others to chase after her once they realized what had happened. They caught up to her after almost a minute of running, Ruby standing and staring. The others looked and stared, Yang awestruck and Weiss horrified.

Between a battle-worn Blake and the stranger were the fading bodies of the Grimm, save for one. The stranger, in a similar manner to the King Taijitu, had slammed the scythe down onto the remaining Beowolf's back. But this time, he had propped the scythe up on its small bladed end, propping the Grimm like a scarecrow. As it glared hatefully at the man, weakly trying to kill him, the stranger merely stared back without so much as blinking. Then, in a smooth motion, he grabbed its bottom jaw and ripped it out. The action had elicited horrified yelps from all others present, each too stunned momentarily to respond. The stranger, meanwhile, pulled the corpse off of the scythe before grabbing the weapon and turning towards the three girls. Just as he was about to walk towards them, however, he found a black blade at his neck.

" **What are you doing?"** he asked.

"Protecting my friends," Blake said. "You just showed a monstrous brutality and I have to know: do you intend on hurting any of us at all? And don't bother lying or I'll cut you down where you stand."

"Blake?" Ruby asked uncertain. "What –"

"Answer me."

"… **your two friends, the ones with yellow and white hair, told me that all four of you rescued me,"** he said calmly. **"For that, you have my word: I will never bring harm to you or your friends. I swear it."**

Blake looked into his orange eyes for any signs of deceit but all she saw was a steely resolve and honesty. Satisfied, she lowered her blade before sheathing it. The others took that as the que to approach her.

"Blake, are you alright?!" Ruby asked, looking her scratches and cuts over.

"Me?" Blake asked. "Ruby, what happened to your shoulder? You've got a piece of ice on it."

"King Taijitu, which this guy slew. You should have seen it! After he killed the black one, he was all _fwap_ , and _shwing_ , and then _BAM_!"

"…what?"

"He killed the black Taijitu," Yang said, "and then he pinned the white one down before killing it with a punch."

"A punch? He killed it with a punch?"

"Well, he _did_ just rip off a Beowolf's bottom jaw easily," Weiss said. "it's not that hard to imagine –"

" **Ahem!"** coughed the stranger. **"I'm right here. Don't talk like I'm not."**

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Weiss said. "We just –"

"Got caught up in the moment," Yang said. "It happens a lot with us. Oh, and thank you."

" **For what?"** he asked.

"For helping us out."

" **You're welcome. And by the way, I believe this belongs to you, Miss…Ruby, was it?"**

He held out the scythe to her in one hand, waiting for Ruby to grab it. She held out her hands to receive it; just when a piece of the blade's point fell off and pinged off the ground. Everyone present saw it, and for two seconds no one reacted. After that, Ruby screamed and snatched both scythe and piece before inspecting the weapon while muttering in a panicked state.

"It's okay, sweetheart, Mommy's here!" she muttered. "I'll get you fixed up at Beacon, don't worry! You'll be alright!"

" **Is the scythe alive?"** the stranger asked, confused. **"She speaks like it's her child."**

"Well, she _did_ make it from scratch a few years ago," Yang said. "So in a way, it is her child. Kinda like how every artist feels some connection to their art pieces."

" **Oh,"** he said. **"I wouldn't know. I'm no artist."**

"Alright, then what are you?" Weiss asked.

" **I…I…I'm not sure, to be honest. I…can't seem to recall what I am."**

This caused worry to pass through everyone except Ruby, who was still looking over her weapon. Yang, Weiss, and Blake looked at each other for a moment, Zwei tilting his head confusedly at the stranger.

"Do…do you know _who_ you are? Do you know your name?"

"… **I…don't know."**

* * *

(Author's notes: Hey, guys. Guardian here. I read the comments, and yes, I know that I put a lot of detail descriptions into the first chapter. That was mostly to set up the characters and setting. I will try to keep stuff like that to a minimum, but it will still happen. That's just my current writing style. On that note, sometime in the future I will try to go back to each chapter and rewrite them in a better, smoother style.

Also, about the second chapter ending...yeah, taking a risk with that, as far as how people will react to it. But hey, great ideas and moments take great risks, right? And there's a reason for it happening...but hopefully you'll understand when it happens several chapters from now.

Please be sure to comment what you thought and suggestions in how I can improve my writing...and I will say this right now to nip it in the bud: **don't ask me to take the plot in any certain direction unless I ask you guys to.** I already know the key points of this story and how it will end. Small stuff, sure. I wouldn't mind a few suggestions. In fact, I may take ideas that you guys suggest for minor events in the story. Many stories need minor events so as to give the readers and plot a breather. But only if I ask for ideas in advance, and I will try to be specific in what I ask for. And so you know, I know what big events will take place. Those aren't changing. I'm sorry if I come off as offensive and demanding, but it's the only way I know how to say it.

Other than that, I hope you guys enjoy the story! And that ends the notes for now!)


	3. Chapter 3

Darksiders: The Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 3

Five minutes had passed since the battle had ended. By that point the paramedics had reached them and had tended to everyone. Weiss, Yang, and Zwei were unscathed, and Blake only had scratches. Ruby and the stranger, however, needed some serious attention. The paramedics had put Ruby's arm in a sling while checking her shoulder, saying she would have to get it treated at the school. Meanwhile, they had checked on the stranger's face under the bandages, applying medicine and saying he would need to get treated at a hospital for both the burns. They offered to bring him there, but he declined, saying he would get there himself. He also declined when they offered to change his bandages, saying he'd wait until he made it to the hospital. So, after giving him directions, they left the group.

"Well," Yang said. "Now that we've got that straightened out, what do we do?"

"We should report this to Ozpin," Blake said. "He'll want to know what's happened, and maybe he'll know what to do."

"That sounds like a plan," Ruby said. "By the way, Mr. Stranger, do you remember anything now? Any ideas of who you are or where you're from?"

" **No,"** he said. **"It's all a blank. All I can gather is, this feeling of sorrow. But why?"**

"Um, question," said Weiss. "Why hasn't the Atlas military arrived already? I mean, a green meteor landed just outside of Vale. Shouldn't that be cause for concern? Especially after the Grimm attack from earlier today?"

"Maybe they're spread too thin?" asked Ruby. "I mean, the attack _did_ take a lot of people to keep in the city, along with protecting everyone."

"It still doesn't explain why they haven't arrived yet," Blake said.

"You know, maybe they can help?" asked Weiss. "I mean, with their resources, Atlas can –"

" **No,"** said the stranger.

"No? Why not? They can help."

" **I may not remember who I am, but I know that I will** _ **not**_ **allow any army to possess me."**

"But –"

" **I, said, no."**

"…o-kay," Yang interjected. "Moving on, I suggest we give you a name. I mean we can't just keep calling you 'stranger' or 'guy,' right?"

" **True,"** he said. **"Do you have any suggestions?"**

"Uh…Bob?"

"Bob?"asked Weiss. "That's your idea?"

"Hey, you got any better ideas? I'm all ears."

"I happen to have a few, yes. And they're certainly better than Bob. Perhaps…Julian would work?"

"Eh, I don't see it working."

"I gotta agree on that one," said Ruby.

"Okay," said Weiss. "What about Adam?"

"No," Blake said curtly. "Not Adam."

"But he –"

"I knew another Adam, once. I have a few bad memories about him. Pick something else."

"Okay, then. Hm…what do you think of Xavier?"

"… **no."** he said.

"Hey," said Ruby. "Maybe we can give him a name based on something about him?"

"And what, exactly, kind of name do you give based on someone who's tall, survived riding on or being hit by a meteor, and who slew several Grimm with ease?" Weiss asked.

"Butch?" asked Yang.

"…maybe we should let _him_ decide," Blake suggested, turning towards him. "What do you think?"

" **Hm…you said that I rode on a meteor, correct?"** he asked.

"Yes, but that wasn't actually accurate," responded Weiss.

" **True. Still, the word rode…no, not 'rode.' Hm…ride, rider…that word. It sounds right, and also familiar."**

"Rider?" asked Ruby. "It sounds familiar to you?"

" **Yes. I don't know how, but it feels like, I've been called that before."**

"Well, then why don't we use that? Maybe it'll help you remember something?"

"I don't see a problem with it," Blake said.

"It's easy to remember, too," said Yang. "And it's better than Julian."

"Hey!" said Weiss. "At least mine was better than Bob…still, you have a point. Rider _does_ roll off the tongue nicely."

" **Then it's settled,"** he said. **"Call me Rider."**

"Great!" exclaimed Ruby. "Glad to meet you, Rider! Oh, introductions! I'm Ruby. The one with blonde hair is my big sister, Yang. The one in black is Blake. The one in white is Weiss. And the little guy here is Zwei."

" **A pleasure to meet you all."**

"Same with you, Mr. Rider," said Weiss. "Now, with that out of the way, does anyone else have an idea on what to do next?"

"Uh…oh, I know!" said Ruby. "Don't people with amnesia sometimes remember stuff when they see and hold familiar items? Maybe if we find something that belongs to him, he'll remember something!"

"Ruby?" asked Yang. "Where exactly are we supposed to find something of his? Unless you've got pockets filled with stuff, Rider?"

Rider checked his pants to be sure, finding no pockets on him.

"Perhaps there's something at the crater?" asked Blake. "There might be something there that fell off of you when you made impact, something we overlooked."

"It's certainly worth giving a look," said Weiss. "We weren't exactly paying much attention to what was on the ground when we found you."

"It's settled!" said Ruby. "Team RWBY and Rider, back to the crater!"

" **Team Ruby?"** he asked as they began to walk. **"You named your group after yourself?"**

"Oh, it's not 'Ruby,' it's 'RWBY,'" said Yang. "As in, each of our first initials put together to form our team name. R is for Ruby, W for Weiss, B for Blake, and Y for me, Yang."

"… **that doesn't make it any less ridiculous."**

"Hey, for your information we didn't come up with it!" exclaimed Weiss. "Our headmaster came up with it when we passed our entrance exam and became a team. Also, I think it's a great name!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ruby. "And at least we didn't get stuck with something lame like a number, like Team 47."

" **Actually, that does sound better. Also, you said headmaster earlier, Weiss. That means that you're all students of some kind?"**

"Yes, we're all students at Beacon Academy, a school that trains teenagers into becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses."

" **Huntsmen and Huntresses…something tells me you aren't trained to kill animals for sport."**

"Wait," said Blake, the group stopping for a moment. "Do you not know what Huntsmen and Huntresses are?"

" **I believe it's been made obvious already."**

The girls looked at each other in worry, wondering how to approach this.

"Rider, do you, know where you are?" Weiss asked. "I mean, as in the country and kingdom you're in? And the name of the world?"

" **No,"** he said. **"I wasn't aware that the world even had a name. Are not 'the world' and 'planet' sufficient?"**

"Hoo boy," said Yang, scratching her head. "Looks like we need to start with the basics, then. Um…to start off, the world is called Remnant. Right now we're just outside the city of Vale, which is located in the kingdom of Vale. Redundant, I know, but that's how it's been for years. Any other stuff you'll need to know can be found in any library or book store, or even on a Scroll. But we can try and answer any questions you have now. Can't promise we can tell you everything, though."

" **I see. So what are Hunters and Huntresses?"**

"It's Huntsmen, not Hunters," said Ruby. "And they basically fight monsters and protect people."

" **So you're soldiers?"**

"No, we're not. We're warriors trained to fight off the Grimm. Well, not us specifically. But we're being trained to be, and once we graduate we'll be able to go out and fight the monsters and save the people!"

" **I'm still not seeing the difference."**

"Uh, well…Blake, a little help?"

"Basically, Huntsmen and Huntresses do what the military can't do and go where they can't go," Blake said, walking and prompting everyone to follow. "They can go among the different kingdoms and even to unclaimed places, doing jobs too dangerous or legally untouchable for most military soldiers. The jobs can involve many things, such as search and rescue, monster killing, and other odd jobs. Also, officially and legally they have no ties to any one kingdom, to ensure that they don't stray from their primary objective: killing the Grimm and protecting the people from the Grimm."

" **You speak as if this Grimm is a constant threat. How formidable are they?"**

"Very formidable. And they're almost infinite. For as long as our history has been recorded, and even further than that, the Grimm have always been focused on one thing: our annihilation. We've been in a never ending war with them. Sometime in history, though, the remaining kingdoms of the world decided to band together and create schools that would teach warriors that specialized in killing Grimm, warriors whose skills even outranked the military."

" **And that's where you girls come in. You're all part of one of those schools that makes specialized mercenaries."**

"That's a bit of a blunt way to put it," Weiss said. "But, if that's how you understand it, then yes: specialized mercenaries whose primary objectives are to kill Grimm and protect the people."

By this point they had reached the crater. Everyone there fanned out, searching for anything that did not belong. At first, their search yielded no fruit. After five minutes, however, Yang spoke up.

"Rider!" she called out. "I found something!"

" **What is it?"** he asked.

"It's a gun. A revolver, pretty dinged up and scarred. I've never seen this kind of design, though."

" **Let me take a look."**

Yang tossed the gun to him, Rider catching it by its grip with an uncanny grace before closely inspecting it. Overall it was as long as his whole forearm, if not a bit longer. It had etchings down the barrel in a lightning-esque style, as well as a few ridges jutting out at the rear end of the barrel at different sizes. The main part of the grip was yellow, the rest a basic metallic grey. The bullet cylinder was, upon inspection, scratched up but still functional. After running his free hand against it he soon found the release hatch. In the cylinder were three bullets left, the bullets themselves of a high caliber for a handgun; and to his surprise it seemed the gun itself could hold ten. After putting the bullets back he looked the gun over again, a sense of familiarity and confusion coming over him.

" **I feel like I've seen this before. But how, and where?"**

"Well, if it feels familiar to you, that means we're making progress!" Ruby said as she approached him. "Ooh, that's a big one! Vintage style, too, probably custom-made! I bet the bullets can pack a wallop, maybe blow a Beowolf's head to nothing! She's _beautiful_!"

" **You seem overly excited over a 'vintage' gun,"** he said. **"I take it weapons are a passion of yours?"**

"Ah, well, yes, heheheh. Kind of a weapon dork…that was embarrassing."

" **On the contrary, I find it adorable."**

"A-adorable? Really?"

" **Yes, in a child-like sort of way."**

"Ch-CHILD-LIKE?! I'll have you know I'm not a child! I'm almost sixteen, and I'm fully capable of fending for myself against the Grimm! And, I drink milk!"

"… **how adorable. Keep drinking that milk, little kitten."**

Ruby didn't say anything in response, stuttering for a moment before glaring at him. She then kicked him as hard as she could in his shin before walking away, trying not to limp as she grumbled.

"Was that really necessary?" asked Yang.

" **Probably not,"** said Rider, holstering the gun in a loose piece of leg armor. **"But I certainly found it entertaining."**

"Well, that _was_ a little funny. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna make sure her foot isn't broken."

"You know, you actually seem to be rather well-grounded for a guy who can't remember his past," said Weiss as she approached him.

" **You're not wrong there, but I do admit that I still feel some worry. After all, I lost my whole identity…still, no reason to lose control of myself."**

"Um…not that I don't admire your self-control, but isn't that the perfect time to panic? I mean, you just lost _everything,_ short of a gun, your clothes, and brutal fighting skills. You have almost _nothing_ to fall back on. **Any sane human or faunus in your position would be a near wreck at this point!** "

" **Well, maybe I'm not human? Also, what's a faunus?"**

"Oh, well…imagine humans, only with animal traits like cat ears or monkey tails, maybe even claws. It's rather simplified, but that's what a faunus is, in a nutshell."

" **Animal traits? Sounds to me like they'd make a powerful race."**

"It's more than just that," said Blake, sighing as she dusted off something on the ground. "They want to survive and live in peace, just like humans; but, that's a story for another time."

At that moment Zwei barked at them, all three turning to look. He kept barking, causing them to go and see what was wrong. Signs that Zwei had been digging around were apparent, but it was what he found that caught their attention. On the ground were two black sticks around two feet in length and identical in build. On one end of each were two parallel prongs, resembling a small creature's open maw. On the other end of each were jagged pieces of metal, parts of what once was probably a weapon. Scattered close to those ends were other similar pieces of metal. They were too scattered to make any definitive shape, but Rider got the sense that they made a blade of some kind. It was pointless in that moment, though, as they were useless now. That didn't stop him from picking up the handles and inspecting them. He gave them a few twirls, the sense of familiarity coming back.

"Feeling something with them?" Blake asked.

" **They certainly feel good in my hands,"** he said. **"But they also feel off-balanced, and they're currently useless."**

"Well, we do have a weapons development and repair lab at the school," Weiss said. "You can probably get those repaired there."

" **I'd like that…hm, I wonder."**

He placed the two pronged ends together, and suddenly the two sticks connected and extended. In under a second Rider was holding a staff, the fragmented metal for one end now pointing down one end while the other one seemed to expand a bit.

" **Oh, I'm** _ **most definitely**_ **taking advantage of that laboratory,"** he said, twirling the staff. **"Imagine what these could do if these had proper blades on them."**

"True, they'd be better weapons then," said Blake. "But first you'd have to be cleared by Ozpin."

" **Ozpin?"**

"The headmaster of our school, Beacon Academy," said Weiss. "We need to talk to him about you and what's happened. If he lets you, you can repair your weapons there."

"He may even give you a place to stay at in Beacon," said Blake. "If you'd like, that is."

"Which brings up a good question: do you know where you were going to go spend the night?"

" **No,"** he said, looking to see if he could holster the sticks onto his pants. **"The thought hadn't occurred to me, given the circumstances at hand. Still, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to request room and board. How soon can we meet this, Headmaster Ozpin?"**

"How does right now sound to you?" said another voice.

Everyone turned towards the voice, seeing a light-skinned man with gray messy hair looking down at them from the crater's edge. He wore a black suit jacket over a dark green buttoned vest and lighter green shirt, as well as dark green slacks, black shoes, a green scarf with a small cross pendant, and a pair of shaded black spectacles. In his right hand was a cane with what appeared to be a handguard of sorts, while in his left was a white coffee mug. His eyes, a light shade of brown, looked down towards them with a calm but calculating look. This was Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.

"Professor Ozpin!" exclaimed Weiss as the girls rushed to Rider's side. "We were just about to come find you!"

"So I heard," he said, taking a sip from his cup. "I don't suppose you girls would mind explaining _why_ you're all standing in a crater, with a shirtless stranger?"

"Ah, well, uh," stuttered Ruby. "Heheh, you see…"

* * *

(Author's Note: Sorry it took some time for the third chapter. I was having issues with finding an editor/proofreader who wasn't busy. Eventually I decided to look this one over myself and post it.

You know, I find one of the biggest issues with writing an amnesiac character, especially one that many people know about pre-amnesia, is figuring what makes them tick and feel the way they do when they have their memories. Take those away, and what's left? What stays the same and what's different? Perhaps that's why it's such a risk with making amnesiacs in fanfiction and original works: observations aren't always obvious to everyone, or they can be wrong. That's partly what this story is, a look at part of what makes Death, well, Death. It's a look at what parts of him are from experience and memory and what parts are from instinct and blood.

If I get something wrong in grammar, spelling, or RWBY canon, let me know in the comments. Otherwise, please let me know what you think of the story.

As always, I hope you enjoy it!)


	4. Chapter 4

Darksiders: The Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 4

"So, in summary," said Ozpin, before sipping from his mug, "you girls saw a meteor. You went to investigate and found this, Rider, was it? You had an encounter with some Grimm, and in trying to keep him safe he woke up and helped, ah, 'slaughter' them. And after doing so, it turns out Rider here has no memory of who he is or where he came from, resulting in the five of you picking the name Rider for him. Did I forget anything?

"Uh, no," said Ruby. "That about sums it up. Oh, wait! We _did_ find some stuff that may be his, like a gun."

"I see."

Another few minutes had passed since Ozpin had arrived. By that time more people had arrived, most prominently the Atlesian Kingdom military and Vale city police. Both investigated the area to ensure no one was hurt and everything was alright, though at Ozpin's request they left the group alone while the girls explained what happened. During the talk, two more figures approached them and stayed. One was a woman with blond hair tied in a bun, a wavy bit of her bangs hanging out. She wore thin glasses, a blouse with partly puffy sleeves, and a black business skirt over black stockings and heels. If there was one word to describe this woman, it would be "strict." The other was a man a few inches taller than her, with short-cropped graying black hair and an air of military authority. He wore a white and gray uniform consisting of an overcoat buttoned at the collar, a closed undercoat, a red tie, white uniform pants, and silver-and-gray boots. The former was Professor Glynda Goodwitch, a fellow teacher of Beacon Academy. The latter was General James Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy and a leader of the Atlesian Kingdom's army.

"A gun," said Ironwood. "Is that all?"

"We also found the remains of bladed weapons," said Blake, pointing to the sticks at Rider's belt. "But they're currently useless."

" **Nothing that can't be repaired,"** said Rider, grabbing one of them. **"I understand that you have a weapons repair lab in your school, Ozpin."**

"That's Professor Ozpin," stated Professor Goodwitch.

"It's alright, Glynda," Ozpin said. "It's only a title. And to answer your question: yes, Beacon Academy does indeed have a repair lab, as well as testing rooms and a firing range."

"But what makes you think you can just walk in and use it?" asked Ironwood.

" **I don't,"** said Rider. **"It is, after all, up to Ozpin on whether I can use it or not."**

"Use it?! From what we've been told, you obviously don't need them!"

" **True, but I'd rather they be useful to me. Besides, the revolver aside they're the only things I have that I can even assume belong to me."**

"Which brings us to our next subject," interjected Ozpin. "Your amnesia. Miss Schnee, you said that he didn't even remember the name of the kingdoms, or even the planet itself?"

"Yes, sir," Weiss said. "He wasn't even aware of what the Grimm or Huntsmen were."

"Retrograde amnesia," said Goodwitch. "And a bad case, too. No memories of identity or origin. The fact that he's awake _and_ has both a distinct personality and exceptional combat skills is astounding."

" **What can I say?"** said Rider. **"Whoever made me, they made me to last."**

"That level of endurance and fortitude could be useful," said Ironwood. "You would do well as part of the –"

" **If you're going to ask me to join some military force, then the answer is no."**

"But –"

" **I won't serve under anyone, take orders from anyone. I will not be a soldier."**

"Then perhaps you could be an employee?" asked Ozpin. "Would you be willing to take up a job offer, knowing that you could leave anytime you wished?"

" **Job offer?"** Rider asked.

"Job offer?" Goodwitch and Ironwood asked.

"Yes, a job offer. One, perhaps, we can discuss privately back in my office?"

" **Hm…he speaks the truth when he says I can leave anytime I wish?"** Rider asked Ruby.

"He does," she said. "I mean, I'm sure of it. We all trust him, and he hasn't lied to us yet."

" **In that case, I don't see the harm in at least hearing you out."**

"That's all I ask," Ozpin said. "General Ironwood, are you needed here to oversee your men?"

"No," he said. "They should be able to do their jobs without me, but if something comes up then they can contact me via Scroll."

"In that case, shall we all make our way back to Beacon?"

With a nod, everyone made their way back to the school. Along the way, some of them began to talk with one another. Rider kept to himself. He couldn't help but look at the handles, pondering what he could make with them. After combining it into a staff again, Ruby approached him to look at it.

"You know, that would probably be better with heavy blades," she said. "Maybe ax blades?"

" **Sounds deadly,"** he said, **"but not quite appealing. I've been thinking; I did fairly well using your own scythe. That in mind – "**

"Oh no! You're not using her again! I won't –"

" **That wasn't what I was going for."**

"Oh...it wasn't?"

" **No, I was referring to using your scythe as inspiration."**

"Well, if we're talking weapon shop, maybe you can make something that can turn into a gun!"

" **Excuse me?"**

"Well, that's the standard style for most weapons these days. Mine turns into a sniper rifle, Blake's turns into a pistol, Yang…well her weapon shoots yellow bursts that can cover the same distance as most bullets, so technically it's also a gun. And Weiss; well, she just uses her Semblance and Dust, so I guess she's an exception. But you get where I'm going, right?"

" **I do, but I don't think I'll take that route. Doing so would be pointless, since I already have a pistol. Also, what do dead skin and pieces of cloth have to do with weapons?"**

"Dead skin – oh! No, not dust as in what's on old things. Dust as in, well, the colored crystals and powder that we use every day."

" **What?"**

"Here, let me show you. Weiss, you mind lending me a Dust vial? I wanna explain Dust to Rider."

"Hm?" she asked. "Oh, certainly. Just don't break it."

"I know, I know. Alright, Rider. See this glass of red powder?"

" **Yes."**

"Well, this is Dust, or at least one type of Dust. It doesn't look like much, but this stuff is WAAAAY more powerful than it looks. And more dangerous."

" **Oh? And why is that?"**

"Because they can access the elements, like fire, ice, lightning, and other cool stuff! This red powder, for example, can create fire and explosions. But, you have to be careful. It's unstable, and can go off from anything. Even a sneeze!"

"… **and you know that last part, how, exactly?"**

"Uh, heheh, funny story actually. See, when I first met Weiss, she was dragging her bags along to the school, and some were filled with Dust; and I wasn't looking where I was going because I was lost and bumped into her stuff. She was mad, of course, and opened a case to see if the Dust was alright, and when she went on this rant about what Dust was and how I could have broken it she was shaking a corked bottle of the red ones, which got into my nose and caused me to sneeze, which created a small explosion big enough to engulf us both. We weren't hurt, thought, just covered in ash! Well, she was at least. And then she –"

" **I think that's quite enough, thank you."**

"Well, you did ask."

" **I did, and now I regret it. Still, you** _ **did**_ **give me a few ideas for my weapon."**

* * *

"What do you think of him?" Weiss asked.

"Who, Rider?" Yang asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you think of him, in general? What kind of vibes do you get from him? Personally I think he's a bit standoffish."

"Well, he's pretty grim," said Blake. "And brutal."

"I'll say!" said Yang. "You remember when he killed that King Taijitu! And that Beowolf, too! Totally awesome, if not a little scary."

"I wouldn't use the word 'awesome' myself," said Blake. "If anything, untrustworthy would be my choice."

"Untrustworthy?" asked Weiss. "What do you mean?"

"You saw what he did to that Beowolf, how he propped it up with Ruby's scythe and then ripped out its bottom jaw. All with very little effort, too."

"So?" asked Yang.

"So, what's to stop him from doing that to someone else? From, say, us?"

"Well, he _did_ give us his word," Weiss said. "That has to mean _something_ , right?"

"The word of a complete stranger, mean something?" asked Blake. "How do we know that he won't go back on his word?"

"Well, we don't," Weiss admitted.

"Exactly. That said –"

"Ugh, you're both overthinking this," Yang groaned. "It's simple: we give him the benefit of the doubt, see what he does. If we treat him like a friend, maybe he'll be our friend for real? And if he _does_ attack us, we just beat the crap out of him. Plus, what's he gonna do with two sticks and an old revolver?"

"You mean the old revolver the size of his forearm and bullets thicker than his finger?" Blake asked. "And the two sticks he's going to turn into weapons when we get back?"

"My **point** is that if he does turn on us, we've got him outnumbered and outgunned. Not to mention we're bringing him to a school full of Huntsmen, Huntresses, and maybe half of another kingdom's military. If he turns on us, he's not getting out alive. But before it comes to that, let's give him a chance. I mean, the guy doesn't remember anything except how to fight. Shouldn't we be focusing on helping him before we point our weapons at him?"

"Yang's right," Weiss said. "As surprised as I am to hear such a deep thought like that from her –"

"Hey!"

"– she has a point. We should help him regain his memory. Who knows? Maybe he'll remember something important, something that can help us all out?

"…yeah," Blake said. "You're right, the both of you. Helping people, that's part of what Huntresses do. He's no different."

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Yang, draping her arms over the two girls' necks. "So, how can we help him?"

* * *

"I don't like this," said Ironwood. "It doesn't add up."

"Which part?" asked Glynda. "The part about him and the meteor, or how all he remembers is how to fight?"

"Any and all of it. Anyone can feign amnesia. I've read files of soldiers and mercenaries doing so to gain information from enemy camps, and I've even seen a Huntress who specialized in infiltration and espionage pull off a convincing act in a simulation. And even if he truly does have amnesia, are we really going to believe that he's survived a direct meteor impact? No one, human or faunus, can survive something like that."

"Perhaps he is neither, then?" asked Ozpin. "Perhaps he is something…other?"

"That's impossible," Ironwood said. "Save for the Grimm, humans, animals and faunus are the only sentient things on this planet, probably in this universe."

"That we know of," said Ozpin. "But it doesn't matter what species he is. What matters is that he is alive and hasn't harmed my students, or anyone else for that matter. I believe it is best that we keep it that way for the foreseeable future, don't you agree?"

"Obviously," said Glynda. "But how?"

"If he won't be a soldier, I say we keep him contained," said Ironwood.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," spat Glynda. "Why must you try to control everyone with that kind of power? He's not a threat!"

"Not yet, he's not. And as head of security –"

"You would be overstepping your bounds," said Ozpin. "He has not openly threatened or attacked anyone, be they civilian, soldier, or Huntsman. As such, he cannot be detained until otherwise. Doing so would be an abuse of your power and authority, James."

"…fine. Then what do **you** suggest, seeing as you intend to hire him?"

"I will explain later, after we dismiss the girls. After both events from today, I'm sure they're all exhausted by now. Speaking of students, how have yours been?"

"Good, for the most part. However, many of them have become impatient for the start of the tournament. This morning, before the Grimm attack, Glynda and I had to stop a small fight from starting between two students, one from Atlas and one from Beacon."

"Oh? And how did that end?"

"Peacefully," Glynda said. "We were able to usher them to one of the sparring rooms and hold a supervised match there."

"Ivory, my student, took the win. However, she didn't do so without taking quite the beating. Nothing life threatening, though I suggest you keep an eye on…what was his name?"

"Cardin Winchester. And yes, I most certainly will. He's got quite the attitude, that one."

"Hm," mused Ozpin. "Perhaps it would be best to vent some of their impatience and frustrations a little early, before they explode?"

"Excuse me?" asked Ironwood.

"Nothing, just an idea. One that I will discuss with you two later. For now…"

They soon reached the school's double-door entrance, where Ozpin stopped the group to speak with them all.

"I'm afraid, Team RWBY, that this is where we must part ways for the night," said Ozpin.

"Wh-what?" asked Ruby.

"After everything that has happened today, I believe it is best that you girls get some rest."

"But, but –"

"With all due respect, sir," said Weiss, "don't we have a right to know what's going on? After all, we saved this man's life. Shouldn't we know what's to become of him?"

"And you will, first thing in the morning," said Professor Ozpin. "In fact, I have an important assignment for you girls, regardless of whether he takes the job or not. Starting tomorrow, it will be _your_ job to show Rider around and help teach him the fundamentals of our world."

"Teach him the fundamentals?" asked Blake.

"This means explaining and showing him any and all information he may need to know in order to navigate our world, such as geography, our currency system, current events, and even how to use Scrolls. And before you ask if you must do this alone, I will also be informing the staff to aid in your endeavor whenever possible."

"If I may, sir?" interjected Weiss.

"Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"If Rider needs to learn about, well, everything, why not just enroll him in our school? Wouldn't he have a better chance learning there than from the four of us?"

"The thought _did_ come to mind. However, our school does not teach worldly fundamentals, but rather Huntsmen and Huntress fundamentals. His education would be lacking, at best. Also, even if I did decide to enroll him, it would take time and a few stacks' worth of paperwork; which would, in summary, be an overly complicated process. But most importantly, it would have to be his choice."

" _ **My**_ **choice?"** asked Rider. **"Why my choice?"**

"Because that is the very core of education: one's decision to learn. Now, as I said before, I believe it would benefit Team RWBY to head back to their dorm and get some rest, while you come to my office to discuss my offer of employment. Assuming, of course, you're still interested?"

" **I am."**

"Then please, follow me. Girls?"

"R-right," said Weiss, bowing to Professor Ozpin.

"We'll be leaving now," said Blake.

"See you in the morning, big guy," said Yang, gently punching Rider's shoulder.

With that the girls left, save momentarily for one. Ruby lingered to look at Rider, concern in her eyes, before turning to follow her team. As they left, the adults turned towards the doors and passed through, making their way through hallways and stairs until finally entering a large circular office located within a clock tower. It was surrounded by a large window overseeing the grounds. Revolving cogs, gears, and clock wheels adorned the ceiling, turning in unison as they moved the clock. Other than a glass-and-metal desk at the farther end of the room, the two floors of the office were bare of any sort of décor and furniture. Everyone followed Ozpin to the desk, the headmaster sitting behind it.

" **So, what is this job opportunity that you offer?"** asked Rider.

"It's quite simple, really," Ozpin said. "I would like to hire you, officially, as a combat teaching assistant."

" **A what?"**

"A what?!" asked both Glynda and Ironwood.

"A combat teaching assistant," said Ozpin. "Someone who helps assist teachers that teach combat classes, as well as someone who helps students who need extra help in improving their combat capabilities."

" **May I ask what brought this idea up?"** asked Rider.

"Given Team RWBY's report on how you were able to slay the Grim with a complex weapon such as Crescent Rose, I see that you are on a similar level as many Huntsmen and Huntresses. That said, our students could use someone of your capabilities to help them on their way to becoming better warriors. That is my job offer: help mold these children into Huntsmen and Huntresses."

" **Hm. And why should I take up such a job?"**

"Simple: in exchange for being a combat teaching assistant, I will provide you with room and board, as well as an hourly pay, as per legal requirement of the kingdom for teaching assistants."

" **Room and board, a paying job, I can easily procure both elsewhere."**

"Indeed, you can. I'm certain there are other job offers available in Vale. That said, how about this: I will use what resources I have at my disposal to aide you in recovering your memories. And, if he is willing, I am sure that General Ironwood would be able to do the same?"

"…I can," said Ironwood with a nod. "I would still like him as part of the Altesian army. But, if this is his choice, then so be it."

"Also, if you take this job offer, you will have full access to the weapons lab, where you will be able to make repairs to your weapons and craft bullets for your gun."

Rider grabbed one of the handles hanging at his side and looked at it, pondering Ozpin's words. The offer was tempting, but who was to say he couldn't get the same offer elsewhere? A place to stay, he could definitely get that anywhere, be it a cave or some abandoned building. Repairing his weapons certainly sounded tempting, but if worse came to worse he could just use his fists or steal another weapon. As for the offer of help with regaining his lost memory, that was the most tempting of them all. Contrary to what he had told Weiss, he truly was troubled by the lack of identity and memory. All he had to go on when he tried to remember his past was a feeling of sadness. What if he was a villain? What if he had done something that he regretted and intentionally cast away his memories? What if they were stolen from him? These thoughts had crossed his mind previously, which made the job offer even more appealing.

He thought about what Ozpin had to offer, weighing his options and replaying Ozpin's words in his mind. As he did so, something stuck out and caught his attention.

" **You said that I would be a teaching assistant, officially,"** he said. **"Does that mean there's more to the job than you initially let on?"**

"…I'm glad you caught on," Ozpin said with a smile, Ironwood and Glynda looking at him in confusion. "Yes, there's more to it than that. However, I'm afraid that I cannot divulge such information to you, should you refuse the job offer."

" **And why's that?"**

"A security measure, I'm afraid. Should I share that information with you and yet you refuse the job, I'm afraid of who may obtain that information and what they could do with it."

" **You speak as if there are threats as great as the Grim, if not greater."**

"There are, and it is one such threat that I fear may obtain this information. That said, Mr. Rider, what is your answer?"

Rider looked Ozpin in the eye before looking at the other two for a moment, thinking on the matter. On one hand, he could leave and be done with whatever that threat was. On the other, he could take the job and throw himself into the issue at hand, most likely in secret from all but the three present. After a minute of thinking on the matter, he leaned forward and, placing his hands on the desk, looked Ozpin in the eye.

"… **tell me more about this job."**

* * *

Author notes: Hey, guys. Guardian here. Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter in. Life threw some stuff at me, what with a friend's wedding, holidays, work, being called in at work on off days, friends needing help, and looking for a proofreader. I found one, thankfully, one by the name of **almost stupid** **.** However, I'm also looking for another one or two as well. If you're interested, let me know via Private Message and we'll talk.

Also, I'll try to make the chapters longer from now on. On Word documents, they've been around six to seven pages in length. I'll try to shoot for, minimum, ten. Can't promise they'll all be like that, but I'll definitely try for the next few.

As always, please let me know what you think and if I made a mistake with the writing.

Hope you enjoy it!


	5. Chapter 5

Darksiders: The Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 5

Morning came, and with it the sunlight shone through as Team RWBY's curtains were pulled open. This abruptly woke up Yang, forcing her to cover her eyes with an elbow and a groan. Immediately afterwards she was shaken gently by a familiar pair of hands.

"Come on, Yang," said Weiss. "We have a job to do, remember?"

"Mmm, what job?" Yang groaned.

"The one Headmaster Ozpin gave us. We have to show Rider around and teach him everything, since he has amnesia. Ring any bells?"

"Ugh. Yeah, I remember. Still, do we have to wake up so early? Pretty sure the others aren't even up yet."

"It's nine thirty-five. And they're already getting dressed."

At this Yang opened her eyes and sat up, looking around. Indeed, Ruby and Blake were already up, the latter fully dressed and the former getting there. Ruby appeared to have issues with her blouse due to her prior shoulder injury, so Blake was assisting her. Weiss, meanwhile, was already in full attire. Sighing in defeat, Yang swung her feet over her top bunk's edge and, pushing herself off, landed on the floor. With a yawn she grabbed her clothes from atop a nearby box and went to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she came out in her standard black short shorts, orange scarf and yellow top, gloves in her mouth while she closed her vest over her shirt. By that point Ruby had gotten the rest of her attire on, along with her arm sling, and all three girls were now sitting on one of the bottom bunk beds.

"Question: how are we even gonna find Rider?" Yang asked as she pulled on a glove. "I don't remember being told where he'd be staying."

"Headmaster Ozpin sent an email to my Scroll, saying where he's staying," said Ruby, holding up the device. "We just have to go find him."

"Speaking of, where is he?" asked Blake.

"According to the email, he should be in one of the guest rooms," said Ruby. "It should be over at the west dormitory wing."

"Well then, what's the plan?" Yang asked. "Find Rider and show him around?"

"Actually, that's only part of the plan," Weiss said. "Ruby needs to go to the school nurse to get her shoulder healed up, so –"

"We're gonna have her heal Rider's face!" Ruby interrupted.

"Assuming she can," said Blake. "Didn't she say that there were some injuries she couldn't heal?"

"Well, we won't know until we try! C'mon!" she said as she stood up.

"…you know, there's a good pun somewhere in what you said," Yang said after she put her socks and boots on.

"Please don't," said Weiss as she followed the others.

"Oh, come on. It's right there, in front of us! Can't –"

"No. I know what you're going to say. It's in bad taste, and it's just bad."

"You know I'm gonna figure it out and say it sooner or later, right?"

"I said no! Seriously, why can't you let it go?"

And so the two girls continued to argue while they followed Blake and Ruby out the door and down the hall. Along the way they passed by a few students they knew, most of whom waved in greeting. One in particular, a young man with messy blonde hair and blue eyes, ran up to them. He wore white shoulder and chest armor over a black hoodie with orange sleeves, as well as blue jeans with two crisscrossed belts, running shoes, and a sword in a white scabbard at his hip. This was Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR.

"Hey, girls!" he called out.

"Hm? Oh, hey Jaune," said Ruby with a friendly smile. "What's up?"

"Not much. Hey, what happened to your arm, Ruby?"

"Oh, this? We were fighting some Grimm last night."

"You were WHAT?! Grimm, here?!"

"No, not here! Over in the forest, when we were saving Rider."

"Wait, who? Who's Rider?"

"The guy we saved last night!"

"Um…could you start from the beginning?"

"Okay. Last night, the four of us met up outside since we couldn't sleep. We saw this green meteor that crashed just outside of the city limits and went to investigate, but instead of a meteor we found this eight-foot tall man in the crater, badly injured and passed out but still alive. Blake called for the paramedics and Yang and Weiss nursed him to health, but then several Grimm came by and attacked. We killed them, but then more came. I got hurt, but that's when Rider, the stranger, woke up and killed all of the Grimm with Crescent Rose, my scythe. Soon Headmaster Ozpin, General Ironwood, and Professor Goodwitch came by and walked with us to the school, but then he said he wanted to talk to Rider alone about a job offer, and that we should find him in the morning and show him around. And that's why we're here!"

"Uuuh…could you, repeat that? Only slower?"

"We chased after a green meteor, found a stranger in the crater, killed some Grimm, and now we're going to check up on the stranger," explained Blake. "Better?"

"Yeah, much better. Thanks."

"So, is there anything in particular we can help you with?" Weiss asked. "We're in the middle of an

important job."

"Actually, there is. Have any of you seen Pyrrha? She was supposed to help me with something, but I can't seem to find her."

"Have you tried messaging her Scroll?" asked Yang. "Seems like the obvious thing to do."

"I tried, but my Scroll seems to be on the fritz," he said, taking out his large Scroll. "Think any of you can help me with it?"

"Here, let me look at that," said Weiss, holding her hand out for it.

Jaune gave his device to her, Weiss tapping a few times on the screen and pressing a button or two before finally finding the settings. After looking through it, she looked up at him with an answer.

"Your messaging app was turned off," she said drily. "How did you even do that?"

"Oh, uh, must have been when I was working on a paper," he said sheepishly. "I got bored and decided to mess around with it. Heheh."

"This is what you do when you're bored?" Blake said. "I'm not letting you near my stuff, then."

"Hey, it was only once!" he exclaimed. "And, you know, not gonna do it again."

"Let's hope not," said Weiss, handing it back to him. "There, it's fixed. Try it out now."

"Thanks!" he said with a smile, the tablet suddenly vibrating. "Aaand that's her. Gotta go! Thanks again!"

"See ya, Jaune!" called out Ruby as Jaune left.

"Lovable oaf, that guy," said Yang. "So, where were we?"

"On our way to Rider's room!"

And so they continued walking until they made their way to an unfamiliar part of the building. At least, unfamiliar to them. It looked the same as their dorm halls, with light gray walls and little to no décor. However, it lacked the subtler details of their dorm hall, such as small scratches, cracks, and minor discolorations from various accidents and aging. In a word, this hall was immaculate, which somehow sent a slight chill down Yang's back. It went unnoticed by the others, though, as they approached one door in particular.

"Is this it?" Blake asked.

"Room 137," Ruby read off of her Scroll. "Yup, this is it."

With that Ruby knocked on the door, stepping back as she waited for an answer. A few seconds later it opened, a familiar giant looking down at them, a cloth in one hand and his pistol in the other. He looked almost exactly the same as last night, aside from a new hip holster. The combination of his piercing orange eyes and the intimidating vibe he gave off sent shivers down Weiss and Blake's respective spines. Yang, meanwhile, just looked at him, and Ruby smiled.

"Rider! Feeling any better?"

" **Somewhat, yes,"** he said with a nod. " **And you?"**

"Alright, but I'll be better once we both go see the nurse."

" **We?"**

"That's the idea," interjected Weiss. "Our school nurse can heal almost any kind of injury, so we figured that she could take care of the both of you, given Ruby's shoulder and your, um…"

" **My burnt face,"** he said, nodding in agreement. " **Ozpin mentioned that you girls would show me around the school and town as well."**

"That's the plan!" said Ruby. "But first, off to see Nurse Lily!"

" **Very well. After you."**

Holstering his pistol and tossing the cloth aside, he closed the door behind him and followed along with Team RWBY. Just like the night before, Ruby did not hesitate to strike up a conversation with Rider.

"Sooo, where'd you get the holster?" she asked, almost bouncing as she walked next to him.

" **General Ironwood gave it to me,"** he said, hand hovering next to it. " **It's a bit small for my weapon, but he said that it was the best he could give at the moment. He and Ozpin also said that I can either make a bigger one myself, or have it custom-made by someone else."**

"Yeah, that one _does_ look too small. Think you'll make a new one yourself?"

" **Perhaps, but it will have to wait. I still have to craft new blades for my sticks back in the room. Besides, I see no issue with the one I have. It does what it's meant to do."**

"Yeah, but since it's smaller than it's supposed to be, your gun may fall out. Ooh, I know! I can help you make one!"

" **Excuse me?"**

"I can help you make your holster! They're not hard to make, if you use ballistic nylon. There's **plenty** of that in the workshop, since a lot of gun holsters get damaged from training or sparring, or even from fighting Grimm. But anyways, what do you think?"

" **Since you offered, and since I know nothing about making holsters, I see no reason to turn you down. You may help."**

"EEEEE, weapon making!" She squeed, jumping in excitement. "This is going to be **so much fun!** "

" **Well, I suppose I'm glad** _ **one**_ **of us thinks so. It's** _ **just**_ **a holster."**

"Oh? Alright, Mr. Gloomy, how's about I help you with your…uh, what are you making with your sticks again?"

* * *

"Hey, what do you guys think of Rider?" Yang asked, grabbing Weiss and Blake's attention.

"Didn't we just have this conversation last night?" asked Weiss.

"You already know what I think of him," said Blake.

"No, not as a person or his personality," Yang corrected. "I meant, well, physically."

Blake and Weiss hesitated before looking at each other in confusion, looking back at Yang after a second.

"Yang, where are you going with this?" Weiss asked.

"Okay," she said, motioning for the girls to get closer to her. "I know it's stupid, but I only just realized that Rider's, well…kinda hot."

"…what?" Weiss asked.

"You heard me. He's kinda –"

"Yes, I heard you, we both did," Weiss said.

"It's the muscles, isn't it?" Blake asked in a neutral tone.

"Yeah," Yang admitted. "Look, don't get me wrong. I don't think he's datable, like Neptune or Sun."

"Datable?" replied Weiss.

"And that tape around his face and his standoffish personality, they're both kind of turn-offs. But still, that body…I dunno, what do you girls think?"

"Fine," Weiss said after hesitation. "If we're going to have girl talk, I'll give my two cents. I personally think he's got too much muscle on him, and that he could do with a decent shirt. Not to mention those scars on his chest make me a bit, squeamish."

"Really, his scars?" asked Yang.

"Yes!" Weiss said. "It looks like a piece of his chest got ripped out of him. Add the fact that his pale skin makes him look like a walking corpse, and it just gets worse."

"Okay, you got a point there," Yang said. "What do you think, Blake?"

"Me?" the brunette asked. "I honestly don't care that much."

"You…actually, I'm not really that surprised by your answer," Yang said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been hanging out with Sun for a little while now, right? I'm sure that slimmer, toned guys with open shirts are more to your liking."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she said, blushing lightly and looking away.

"Suuure, you don't," Yang said with a smile.

And so the conversations between both groups continued until, finally, they reached the nurse's office. They entered a room somewhat bigger than the girls' dorm room. Its walls were white, there was a window showing part of the outside green, and a few pieces of medical equipment were around the room. Sitting at a desk at the corner of the room was a tanned curvy woman in a doctor's coat, black heels, black office pants, and a light yellow blouse. Her dirty blond hair was done up in a bun, and she wore pale green glasses over pale green eyes. This was Nurse Lily, Beacon Academy's head school nurse.

"Ah, hello girls," she said to Team RWBY. "Ruby, what happened to your shoulder?"

"It got dislocated when we were fighting some Grimm," said Ruby. "But Yang popped it back in, and then paramedics gave me the sling."

"I see. Well, let's see if I can get you out of it for good. Come here."

Ruby sat down in the guest chair in front of Nurse Lily, the nurse surrounding her hands in a light yellow glow before lightly touching Ruby's shoulder. Meanwhile, Weiss and Blake each leaned against a nearby cabinet while Yang looked around the room in boredom. Rider, however, looked at Nurse Lily's hands in interest.

" **Strange,"** he said as he looked. " **What is that light that you produce?"**

"Hm? Oh, hello," Nurse Lily said. "Were you asking about my Semblance?"

" **Your Semblance?"**

"Yes, my Semblance. Don't you know what a Semblance is?"

" **No, I don't. I'm afraid that's one of the downsides of amnesia."**

"Wh-what?"

"Oh, right," Weiss said. "We found him in a crater, with a burnt face and no memories of his past."

Nurse Lily looked at Weiss, and then she looked at Rider for a few seconds before getting up and pushing her chair towards him. He looked at her in mild confusion, but before he could ask she pointed at the chair and looked at him with a mildly commanding expression.

"Sit," she said, almost ordering him to do so. "I'm almost done with Ruby, so you're next."

Rider looked her in the eye for a long moment, neither of them wavering as they stared each other down. Finally, after five seconds, Rider sighed and took his seat. Nodding, Nurse Lily went back to Ruby and finished up healing her shoulder. Once done, she helped the young girl out of her sling, allowing Ruby to move and test her arm.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Like I never got hurt!" Ruby said excitedly. "I'm ready to kill Grimm again!"

"Whoa, slow down, Miss Rose. I still recommend at least another day or two of rest, meaning only normal, non-combative activities until the day after tomorrow. Meaning no fights."

"Oh. Uh, what about working in the weapon lab?"

"As long as you don't lift anything too heavy, I'll allow it."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Heh, you're welcome Ruby. Now, your turn, Mister…come to think of it, what _is_ your name? And why are you here at Beacon?"

" **My name is Rider, and I'm the new assistant combat instructor that Ozpin hired."**

At that everyone else turned to look at him in surprise.

"Assistant combat instructor?" said Weiss. "As in a teacher?!"

" **Teacher's assistant,"** he said nonchalantly. " **He said I would assist teachers who hold combat classes, as well as help tutor students who wish to improve their fighting capabilities."**

"Wait," said Yang. "Does that mean students get to spar with you?"

" **Obviously,"** he said.

"Oh ho, sweet mama," she said with a wide smile as she cracked her knuckles. "I've been looking for a good sparring partner for a while, so sign me up for some tutoring!"

"Yang, calm down," interrupted Blake. "He doesn't even have his weapons yet, remember? So you'll have to wait for a while before you can sign up."

" **She's right,"** said Rider. " **Officially, I cannot sign anyone up for tutoring until the day after tomorrow, as I will be making my weapons for most of tomorrow. Also, Ozpin still needs to announce my hiring to the rest of the school."**

"Oh," Yang said with a fallen face. "That stinks."

" **However,"** he said, " **there is nothing stopping us from having a hand-to-hand sparring match beforehand. In that regard, I'll take you on whenever you like, even in a few minutes if you wish."**

"OH,YES! Oh, this is gonna be good!"

"Hold the phone!" yelled Nurse Lily. "No one's having any fights until after I look at Mr. Rider, so I can see if it's even safe for him to be in combat. You have retrograde amnesia, which means brain damage, which also means you're at risk of further brain damage that can get you killed, either directly or because you'd be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, normally I would put you through a scanner to check for brain and internal body damage. However, the scanners here are going through maintenance, so I'll have to do a basic check-up on you."

" **And why should I allow you to put me through this?"** Rider asked.

"Well, for one, you're in danger of further brain damage, and it's my job and obligation as a medical practitioner to at least assess the current damage. And for another, it's a requirement for new staff members to receive a physical upon being hired. Consider this part one."

" **Requirement. Hm. Very well, you may proceed. But I wish to have my face remain covered."**

"That's, an odd request. Why?"

" **I feel better with it covered."**

"Oh. Well, it'll be a bit difficult, but I can manage that."

With that Nurse Lily grabbed some items and returned back to him. First she shined a light into each eye, checking for signs of a concussion. Next she checked his breathing and heart with a stethoscope, which were both fine. She checked to see what feeling he had in his four limbs, chest, and head by prodding them with a pen. All of the prodded spots produced feeling. Finally, while trying not to undo the wrappings, she moved bits of them to check his throat. That's when she noticed something and began peering at different parts of his face under the wraps.

"This is, unusual," she said to herself.

" **What's unusual?"** Rider asked.

"Weiss, you said his face was burnt when you found him?"

"Horrifically so," she said. "We couldn't even tell what he looked like."

"Well, then this man's aura is ridiculously strong, because there's no signs of burns on his face. At all."

All of Team RWBY looked at Nurse Lily in shock for a moment, before turning to look at Rider. Ruby's face immediately became a wide smile, a cheer escaping her as her arms shot up into the air. Weiss pinched herself, wondering if she was seeing things. Yang and Blake both stared in perplexed awe at Rider, who looked at Nurse Lily in curiosity.

" **I assume that what you said is a rare occurrence,"** Rider said.

"Rare?" Weiss asked. "No. Finding a natural pearl in the ocean is rare. Getting Blake to enjoy a movie adaptation of a book, and NOT be upset over a major change from said book, is rare. Finding an envelope with plenty of Lien on the street is rare. But finding someone who can heal from third-degree burns in under twenty-four hours, **is nearly impossible**! Unless your semblance is rapid regeneration, which in and of itself should be ever rarer than the pearl, your face should still be burnt."

"Not necessarily," Blake said. "You guys remember Jaune?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Ruby asked.

"Pyrrha once told us how she unlocked his aura, right? During the entrance exam. She said his aura was strong enough to heal a cut on his face in mere seconds, right after she unlocked it."

"So?" asked Yang.

"Jaune's still a freshman like us, and I'm assuming he hasn't mastered or strengthened his aura yet. That said, it's not that far fetched to think that Rider here has an aura of equal strength, if not stronger, and that he may have refined it previously. And like you said, Weiss, he may have a regenerative Semblance."

"Well, when you put it that way," Weiss said, gently gripping her chin in pondering.

" **All of which is best left for later speculation,"** interrupted Rider, turning to Nurse Lily. " **Is this examination over?"**

"Well, I'd like for you to come back in either tomorrow or the day after, when the scanners are up and running," she said with a nod. "But yes, it's over. Since you seem to have a fast and strong regenerative ability, my current diagnosis won't keep you from combat. For now."

" **In that case, I believe there's no further reason to stay here any longer,"** he said as he got up and walked towards the door. " **So long, Nurse Lily."**

"Bye," she said with a wave. "See you in a day or two!"

"So now what?" Yang asked as they walked down the hall.

"Now, we give Rider a tour of Vale and Beacon!" Ruby said with a smile.

" **Very well,"** Rider said. " **Where to, first?"**

"Ooh, I know!" exclaimed Ruby. "Let's bring him to the cafeteria! That way we can introduce him to the others, and even get some food!"

"Some grub _does_ sound nice," Yang commented. "Personally, I wanna bring him to the gym so we can see how much iron he can pump."

"If his ability to rip a Beowolf's jaw clean off of its head is any indication, probably more than you," Blake said, looking at Rider. "Mr. Rider, is –"

" **Stop,"** he said, holding up a hand. " **It's not Mister. Just Rider is fine."**

"Oh. Okay. Rider, is there any place in particular you're interested in going to?"

" **Me? I'd like to leave the school grounds. Beyond that, I'm fine with anywhere."**

"Well, I do know of this good bookstore in town called Tukson's Book Trade. They've got great books, and I'm sure you'll be able to find some that can help explain the fundamental aspects of this world, things we ourselves can't remember or take for granted. And they're cheap, too."

" **That certainly sounds intriguing. I'll pay them a visit and buy a few books whenever I obtain the funds."**

"Actually, that brings up a question," Weiss said. "Did Headmaster Ozpin, or anyone for that matter, give you any Lien?"

" **Lien?"** he asked, stopping for a moment. " **What is that, some kind of currency?"**

"Exactly," she said, pulling out a Lien card. "Our currency takes the form of cards like this one, called Lien notes. Each card holds a specified amount of Lien, indicated by the color of each card. If you wish to make a purchase, you slide a card with the proper amount or more through a card scanner. Once that card has run out of funds, you give it to the vendor as a means of indicating that the card has run out but you have paid the full amount. Mine, however, is a special card, meant to hold all of one's funds. Any questions?"

" **No, I got the gist of it. The cards each hold predetermined amounts of payment, and you use them to buy things. But to answer your prior question, no. I was not given any Lien."**

"Well, in that case I'll pay for your purchases."

"I'll pay, too!" chimed in Ruby.

"Well, if we're all pitching in, I'll throw in some cash," Yang said with a shrug.

"I suppose it's the least we can do, until you get paid," Blake said. "You **are** getting paid, right?"

" **Of course I am,"** Rider said. " **Your headmaster would be a poor excuse of a boss if I wasn't being paid to teach."**

"He would be," Yang said. "So, any idea what you're gonna buy first, big guy?"

" **No."**

"I have another question," Weiss said. "Other than a job, and a room, did Headmaster Ozpin provide you with anything? Like spare weapons or clothes?"

" **He told me I can pick out my temporary weapons whenever I go to the armory, next to the weapon lab. As for clothes, he gave me nothing. All I have are what you see before you."**

This silenced the girls for a long moment, the expressions on their faces ranging from shock to mild disgust. After a few seconds they looked at each other, understanding passing between them before they separated from him and huddled together, speaking in hushed tone.

"Should we –"

"Yes, definitely."

"Think he'd be mad?"

"I seriously doubt that."

"Then it's settled?"

"Yes."

"Yep!"

"Please."

"Alright," said Weiss, taking a step towards Rider. "Rider. We, as your guides, have come to a decision: the first thing we'll be doing, is get you some new clothes."

" **New clothes,"** he said, raising an unseen eyebrow. " **May I ask why?"**

"Because," Blake said, "no one would want to see you –"

"Or be near you," interrupted Ruby.

"– if they found all you have to wear are one pair of pants and armor."

"And only one pair of underwear," said Yang. "You ARE wearing –"

" **Let's not go there!** " Weiss screamed, shaking her head of whatever image came to mind. "There's also a practical reason for new clothes. I mean, you just got your job last night, correct? Do you want to lose it over coming to work wearing the same pair of pants every, single, day?"

" **That would be infuriating, I suppose."**

"And there's also your armor to worry about!" said Ruby. "If you wear the same pair of pants and boots every day, they'll get tattered and fall apart, which means you'll lose your armor."

" **Hm. That** _ **is**_ **a good point...very well. It's not like I lose anything from this."**

"Great!" Ruby said. "First stop: clothing store!"

* * *

(Author's notes:

Hey guys, Guardian here. Sorry it took so long to come up with this chapter. Work came up, and I had some difficulty coming up with some parts of it. Also, other things came up in life, small to moderate things that piled up and took time from writing.

I should mention that because of me writing this fanfic, I've changed what time I can fall asleep at. Now I can't sleep unless it's 4 or 5 in the morning, without taking any sleep aids. I've been taking Melatonin pills to help me sleep, mostly so I don't pass out at work.

I'm gonna take a bit of a break from writing for a few days, maybe a week, to recharge my creative ability and come up with new ideas for the story. Already have a few, but I just need to figure out how to make them work.

Nurse Lily's my own character, created for this story. If she happens to share the name of an OC that belongs to anyone who's reading this, it's purely coincidence. On a side note, there's a chance I'll be fleshing her out more as a character.

Special thanks go to two people here, almost stupid and Archfiend1244, for proofreading this chapter.

Finally, I have a bit of a request for the future. Once the story reaches a certain point, I'd like to find someone who can make a bit of artwork for this story. Not a lot, just a few images to show the readers some ideas I have. **NOT YET, THOUGH!** Hasn't reached that point. And I will pay said artist for their work.

As always, if you find any missed errors, please let me know via comments. Also, let me know what you guys think. Have a good one!)


	6. Chapter 6

Darksiders: The Ruby's Shadow

Chapter 6

The city of Vale was a nice place, peaceful but not quiet. Plenty of people, both natives and visitors alike walked about on business and pleasure, shopping, eating, sightseeing and altogether enjoying themselves. Team RWBY and Rider walked among them, the former searching for suitable clothing stores for the latter. As they passed by certain stores, each of the girls couldn't help but get distracted a few times, stopping and looking through windows at various merchandise for seconds at a time. The current distraction, specifically for Ruby, was at a weapon store.

"Ooh, look at those bullets!" she said with a smile, forehead against the store window and drool dripping from mouth. "I bet Sweetheart can take a Grim's head off with them! Ooh, that blade polisher looks nice! Maybe I should give it –"

"Ruby?" interjected Yang. "We need to get Rider some clothes, first. I think we can get the blade polish later."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

" **So where exactly are we going?"** Rider asked once they continued walking. " **I know we're going to get some clothes, but what's our destination?"**

"Well, we're looking for a decent store that sells men's clothes," said Weiss. "But not just any clothes, mind you. They have to be combat-durable, as well as competently professional. Since you'll be teaching at Beacon – "

"Tutoring!" interjected Ruby.

"Right. Since you'll be tutoring at Beacon, you should at least look presentable, well dressed. Maybe wear something that shows authority and a bit of power."

"I'm pretty sure he shows more than a little power on his own," Blake said. "The man's muscled up as is, and he's got more than enough strength to prove they're real."

"My _point_ is that they should look better than casual. And, though I don't usually shop at this side of town, I do know of one store which sells clothing that fits those criteria. And, they're at reasonable prices."

"Uh, reasonable for you or for us?" asked Yang. "Some of us _do_ have a budget, remember?"

"Oh relax, your wallets will be fine. Aha, here we are!"

They stood in front of a small gray shop with bright bronze lettering adorning the top, titled "From Battles to Banquets." In the front were two window displays, each displaying three mannequins on the left and right of the storefront. The left mannequins displayed, from left to right respectively, a dark blue sleeveless dress, a white short-sleeved shirt and brown shorts, and a dark red set of female armor that consisted of a midriff cuirass, gauntlets, and greaves, all on top of leather shirt and pants and made of several layers of metal plates. The right mannequins, meanwhile, in reverse order of the others, showed a dark blue suit and tie, a white short-sleeved shirt and brown pants, and a dark red set of armor that consisted of full cuirass, gauntlets, greaves, and leather shirt and pants, also made from several layers of metal plates. The girls all walked towards the door, but they stopped when they all noticed Rider staring at one of the mannequins, the one with the male armor.

"Rider?" Yang asked. "What's wrong?"

" **This armor,"** he said, pointing at the mannequin. " **It's pathetically incomplete. No one would live long on these alone."**

"Oh, that?" Weiss asked. "That's just for display purposes, to grab attention and look good. They sell better, complete sets of armor inside. Don't worry about that."

"Not to mention most Huntsmen and Huntresses would just use Aura and evasive maneuvers, anyways," said Blake. "So, why bother with a full set?"

" **Aura,"** Rider said, thinking. " **I've heard the word before, but I did not receive an explanation of what it is."**

"Aura? Well, it's basically the manifestation of one's soul. Humans, animals, all things with souls have it. There's even debates on whether androids and plants have them or not, but that's not important. What is important is this: once unlocked and with proper training, anyone can use aura."

" **For what, exactly?"**

"Combat, mostly. With proper training, you can use your aura to soften or block blows that would normally kill you, depending on the strength of the blow and your aura. You can also use it to enhance your own physical attacks, and it hastens the body's natural healing abilities to a point. But, Aura is limited. Once you run out, or run too low, you'll be vulnerable."

" **So, you're saying it's a natural shield, enhancement, and means of healing injuries. Is that right?"**

"By itself, yes. However –"

"Ahem!" interrupted Weiss. "Could you please finish the lesson _after_ we go inside?"

" **Of course,"** said Rider. " **After you, Miss Blake."**

With a nod, Blake walked in, followed by the rest of the girls, and then by Rider. The interior was relatively bright, shelves and stands made of brightly stained wood, akin to maple. All around were different sets of clothes ranging from folded pants and shirts on shelves, outfit combinations of various qualities that were presented on headless mannequins, skirts hanging on racks, pieces of armor on shelves, a few full sets of armor on mannequins centered off to the left and right walls of the store, and finally clothing accessories such as belts, jewelry, and other such miscellaneous items on tables and racks scattered about the store. From an open door at the back of the store emerged a dark-skinned man with short-cropped salt-and-pepper hair. He wore a white dress shirt, gray dress pants and black belt, dark brown oxford shoes, and had a yellow measuring tape draped around his neck. This was Steven, owner of From Battles to Banquets.

"Ah, Miss Schnee," he said with a slightly posh voice. "How lovely to see you again. I expect you're here for the combat boots you showed interest in last time?"

"Not quite, Steven," Weiss said. "Though I do wish to look at them again. But first, introductions. Steven, meet my teammates, Ruby, Blake, and Yang, as well as Beacon Academy's newest teaching assistant and combat tutor, Rider. Everyone, meet Steven, the best tailor in the city of Vale and one of its top fashion designers."

"Oh, stop, Miss Schnee, I'm hardly the best. I just do my best, and a little more if necessary."

"And that's what makes you the best! Steven, take a look at Rider and tell me what you think."

"Of course – oh my. You're...certainly a big one...hm. You said he's a new combat tutor. Is it safe to assume you haven't started teaching yet?"

" **Correct,"** said Rider.

"I see. Hold still, please. This won't hurt. Everyone else, feel free to look around."

Steven held his hand out towards Rider, and in a pale blue glow the measuring tape lazily floated towards Rider. It quickly reached him, wrapping around his waist snugly. Steven, meanwhile, walked towards him with a small notepad and pen he pulled from his pocket, taking notes of the measurement. Soon the tape moved to Rider's neck, this time wrapping a little more loosely so as not to choke him.

"Is that a Semblance?" Blake asked from the women's pants section.

"Yes, it is," Steven said, not looking away as the tape continued its different measurements. "As long as it's like rope or string, I can control up to four small or medium objects at once with it. Or, I can control one very large object, so long as I can keep focus. It's very useful against the occasional vandalizer. And in case you're wondering, I graduated from Signal Academy and took two years at Beacon Academy before dropping out."

"Oh, you went to Signal too?" Ruby asked, having perused some shirts.

"Yes I did, and I made some great friends over there," said Steven.

"Wait, why did you drop out of Beacon?" asked Blake.

"Because it was one of my friends from Signal who helped me realize that, as much power and ability being a Huntsman would grant me, it would not give me any real happiness," he said. "I always loved making clothes, designing outfits, forging armor sets. It always made me feel, peace and excitement at the same time. But most importantly, it felt right. But, my family had always been warriors, huntresses and soldiers. It was expected of me, the oldest of my siblings, to follow in their footsteps. So, with some words of encouragement from my teammates, and after talking to Headmaster Ozpin, I dropped out."

"What happened to your teammates?" asked Yang, holding a brown belt.

"Oh, they all followed my lead. We were a team of teenagers forced into being warriors. Our team leader, he's now a baker over in the east side of town, working in "Delicious Delicacies". One is a mechanic over in Atlas, running his own shop. And the final one's travelling around the world, doing volunteer work and helping where he can."

"And your family?" Weiss asked, looking at the combat boots. "How did they take it?"

"At first? Not very well. They demanded that I go back, almost forcing me to do so by, ah, not so dignified means."

"Guilt trips and punishment?"

"Not quite, but I'd rather not go into detail. Luckily, I had the foresight to ask Ozpin ahead of time to talk to them, though I wish he had done so sooner. Still, he calmed them down, if only a bit. They agreed to my decision, but on the condition that I follow my dream without their help."

"Wait, they disowned you?!" exclaimed Ruby worriedly.

"No, no, nothing so drastic! Rather, they put me through a test. If I could successfully become a tailor and own my own shop within three years, they would financially support me. Luckily, Miss Glynda from Beacon heard of this and pulled some strings to get me a starting job and a place to stay, though I had to pay my own rent. After that I learned the trade and, after two years of work and making connections, I opened my own shop. And the rest is history. You may put your arms down, Mister Rider. I am finished measuring."

" **So, you lived a somewhat trying life?"** Rider asked.

"Oh, very much so. Still, I had a bit of help, and for that I will always be grateful. Now, are there any particular styles or types of clothing that you request?"

" **Something practical, and something I can wrap my armor around,"** he said. " **Or, at least something that won't get in its way. Also, nothing too tight. I don't want movement to be restricted."**

"Hm, so something loose fitting but durable. Very well, I'll be right back."

And with that Steven made his way to the back room. Rider, meanwhile, looked around him at the different items, feeling out of place and slightly frustrated for being so. Eventually his sight landed upon the armored mannequins, and he made his way to them. Most of them he just passed by without much thought, though he did stop to look at a yellow-and-silver set that looked, in design, like the offspring of something from heaven and something avian. It was posed standing straight, with the palms of its gauntlets pointed inward, clawed fingers relaxed, and the top of the helmet just reaching Rider's forehead. Its main body was sleek and smooth, with two exceptions: it's pauldrons. Bulky in comparison, they were covered in a layer of plates, each shaped and layered over one another so that they looked like silver feathers. This style of plating also covered the chestplate, as well as the backplate. Its chrome helmet, in a barbute style, covered the mannequin's head and back of the neck, with a chainmail coif covering the rest of the neck. The helmet itself had a clear glass-like screen covering the face for protection. The rest of the armor, from the gauntlets to the greaves, looked less like armor pieces and more like silver and gold limbs. Down the arms and legs ran straight red lines, one going down each arm and leg. The final touch was a white cape at the back, reaching just past the back of the knees. Overall it looked like the armor a hero would wear, clearly too small for anyone Rider's size.

" **This is ostentatious,"** he said to himself, shaking his head. " **I suppose the design is impressive, especially if it holds against attacks, but the colors… it hurts my eyes just to look at it."**

"Well, I don't think Steven had stealth in mind when he made this," Blake said as she and Weiss walked up to him. "What _did_ he have in mind with this one?"

"I think he was going for something, celestial," Weiss said, tilting her head. "Something warm and inspiring. If so, he certainly got the theme down, mostly. Not exactly the most inviting set of armor I've seen, but close enough I suppose."

" **And when is armor supposed to look inviting?"** Rider asked. " **It makes more sense for armor to be intimidating, to instill fear in one's enemies.**

"Point noted. In that case that other armor back there would do the trick."

Blake and Rider turned to look at the other sets, and their eyes immediately landed on one particular suit. Bulkier, more imposing, and with a black and white color scheme, it was the polar opposite of the celestial suit. Unlike the previous armor, this one actually matched Rider in height and possibly in build. Where the celestial armor was mostly smooth and sleek, this one was spiky and had white skeletal-like spines stemming down its black limbs, branching off at different parts and reaching all the way to the fingertips and very ends of the greaves. Six of these stems also protruded from the pauldrons like curved spikes of various lengths, the longest two being at the ends and being only half as long as Rider's forearm. The helmet itself, more akin to a great helm or bucket helm, was circular in shape and had two short goat horns protruding from the top as well as decorative fangs around the bottom, the gaps between each fang serving as breathing holes. The gauntlets each had two spikes where the innermost knuckles would be, to add punching damage. The chest plating and back plating were where the spines met, making something akin to a circle in the middle of the chest. Overall it looked like black armor with bone-like ivy growing on top of it.

" **How…pompous,"** Rider said. " **I suppose this could do the trick, in the middle of a thunderstorm at night. For scaring children."**

"To be fair, if you gave the wearer a large ax or sword, any enemy would be scared," Weiss said. "Though they'd have to be big enough to fit in the armor, and be strong enough to lift the weapon _and_ run in the armor."

"So, Cardin Winchester?" Blake asked.

"Hm…yeah, he'd do. Especially with his Semblance."

"You mean that explosion he causes with his mace? I'm not so sure that's his Semblance, but rather him causing the ground to explode through sheer force of strength."

"Really? Well, he's got the muscles, I suppose."

" **Semblance. What is that?"** Rider asked. " **I've heard that word used several times before."**

"Well, continuing where I left off before we came in, a Semblance is an individual person's manifestation of their aura," Blake said. "No two Semblances are the same, as each is more or less the manifestation of their soul. You remember what Steven did with the measuring tape? That was his Semblance."

" **I see. And what of yours, or the rest of your team?"**

"Well, Weiss can create Glyphs that have various effects, especially since she tends to combine them with Dust. Ruby has enhanced speed. Yang can take the force of attacks that hit her and add it to her own attacks, so long as she's conscious. And me, I can make temporary clones that take my place."

" **Temporary clones?"**

Blake hesitated for a moment before sighing, and suddenly a second one appeared next to her. The second one looked at the first one just before lightly slapping her in the back of the head, making the first Blake stumble slightly just before flickering away into nothing.

" **Impressive. I suppose you use this for, decoys and avoiding attacks?"**

"Primarily," Blake said, raising an eyebrow. "It takes most people a little bit longer for them to come to that realization when I tell them this, assuming I'm not using this on them."

" **Given your demonstration, it's not that hard to figure out. Your clones do seem to have some mass to them, though not for long. This makes them something in between being mirages and true clones. Since they have some mass, you could probably jump off of them, or even use them to shove one of your teammates away from enemy fire. Given the way your body moved from there to here, it's clear that movement is a key aspect to your ability, though whether it's a prerequisite or not is beyond me."**

"That, is quite impressive," Weiss said, a look of bewilderment on her face. "Clearly Professor Ozpin lucked out when he hired you. Both impressive combat skills and even better analytical abilities."

"What's going on, guys?" asked Ruby as she approached.

"Rider just figured out the basics of Blake's Semblance, just by looking at it."

"Wait, what? You can do that?"

" **Clearly it's a rare thing, being able to understand what's right in front of you,"** Rider said.

"Oh ha ha," Weiss said, eyes narrowing. "A sense of humor so dry, it makes Yang look like a comedian."

"Someone say my name?" Yang asked as she approached. "And why are we gathering around?"

"Apparently Rider can figure out how our Semblances work, just by looking at them," Ruby said.

"Wait, he can do that?"

" **Didn't we just say that?"** Rider asked.

"Huh. And here I thought Blake was the antisocial one."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important," said Steven as he walked towards them, two piles of folded clothes in his arms.

"Oh, don't be silly," Weiss said, waving the concern off. "Just killing time. Those are his clothes?"

"Well, these are the ones I picked out, after taking his measurements and requests in mind. We rarely have people of his size come in, so I had to look in the back for clothes that would fit. Now, Mister Rider, as per your request for clothes that would go well with your current armor, I picked out some cargo pants and some denim jeans of various fits and cuts. Also, as you will be in an academic position I found some dress shirts that may look and feel great on you. Now, would you please make your way into the male dressing room to try them on, with and without your armor, and let us know what you think? It's over that way, the left gray door."

Taking the clothes that Steven had, Rider followed his directions and went in. As he closed the door, Yang spoke up.

"Hey, what are we gonna do about his face wraps?" she asked. "Are we just gonna let him keep them on the whole time?"

"Well, he said he liked keeping his face covered," Ruby said with a shrug, "so why not?"

"How long will they last?" Blake asked. "I'm not sure Nurse Lily would approve of him taking bandage wraps from the school, just to cover his face. He has no valid reason for it."

"It's probably better to get him a mask," said Weiss. "Steven, do you sell masks here?"

"Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "No masks in this shop."

"It's okay. We'll just have to look elsewhere."

"Maybe costume shops?" Ruby asked. "There should be plenty of masks there."

"Sounds like a plan," Yang said. "After this we go to the nearest costume, if we have Lien left."

"Or a crafts shop, if he can't find one he likes?"

"That sounds reasonable," Weiss said. "And relax, we'll have plenty of money left over."

"Well, it _is_ your bank account we'll be using," Yang said. "Which reminds me. Steven, you wrote down Rider's measurements, right?"

"I did," he said, pulling out his notepad.

"Can we get a copy of that? We're gonna need it for, ah, something."

"I don't see why not."

"What's this about, Yang?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, I know!" Ruby said. "It's how Rider only has –"

"One less thing to worry about!" Yang said, swiftly covering Ruby's mouth. "Right, Blake? Weiss?"

Silent understanding passed through the two girls, both nodding in agreement before looking away. Soon they all broke into different conversations to pass the time. Ten minutes later, they all heard footsteps coming their way. They looked and saw Rider holding a pile of clothes in his left hand, still shirtless but now wearing new pants with the armor. This pair was a light shade of brown cargo pants. Pockets stood out next to the thigh armor pieces, as well as one on his right ankle that was harder to see. Everyone there, save for Weiss, looked in approval.

"Rider?" she asked. "What happened to the shirts?"

" **Folded and in a pile,"** he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

"No, I mean, why aren't you wearing one of them?"

" **They didn't feel right. Also, one of them has a small tear in the sleeve, from when I tried to tie my armor around it."**

"Oh, tears can be fixed," Steven said, waving it off. "But, what did you mean that they did not feel right? Is it the material? Improper fitting?"

" **No, not that. The materials are fine, and they fit fine. It's, something else. Something I cannot explain properly."**

"Hm. And the pants? And problems with them?"

" **The dark gray pair was too tight around the calves, making it hard to move. Other than that, no."**

"And those clothes in your hands, the pants you wish to buy?"

" **Yes."**

"I see. Since this is your first time making a purchase with us, I will give you a twenty percent discount. And feel free to leave the gray pants and shirts in the dressing room, if they make you uncomfortable."

" **Very well, I will."**

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Weiss, looking at Steven. "You're just, going to let him go shirtless?!"

"If that is what he wishes," Steven said with a shrug. "Though I do wish he would buy at least one shirt, I am not going to force him to buy something he does not feel comfortable in."

"But, but–"

"Miss Schnee, I am certain that he will find shirts that feel good to him. There are, after all, other stores in this district. But most of all, one must feel comfortable in the clothes that they buy, both physically and emotionally. To ensure that comfort is an unspoken, fundamental rule of all that sell and make clothes. And I will **not** break that rule, under any circumstance."

Weiss stared and stammered at Steven, trying to come up with a good response to his words. Failing this, she sighed in defeat and cast her gaze downward before reaching for her wallet and pulling out her Lien card.

"How much?"

"Hm, let's see. That's six pairs of pants, two of which are cargos, one pair of carpenter duck jeans, and three of my custom work pants. Taking off the twenty percent discount, it all totals to...one-hundred-twenty Lien. If you would bring those to the front desk, please?"

Rider and Weiss both made their way to the front desk, putting the clothes down and handing over the Lien card. The others followed suit, still silent as they walked with Rider and Weiss to the door with two big bags of clothes in Rider's left hand. The silence was broken once they were out the door, Steven waving them goodbye from the desk.

"So, that happened," Yang said.

"I certainly didn't expect that out of a tailor," Blake said.

"I like him," Ruby said.

"Ugh, yes," Weiss said as she gripped her nose's bridge. "Though I don't like Rider still being shirtless, that view of Steven's is another thing I think makes him the best in his field."

"Well, it's not like 'From Battles to Banquets' is the only clothing store in this city," Blake said. "And the day's just started. We'll probably find him something to wear."

" **I still don't see any real problem with being shirtless,"** Rider said. " **Still, she's right. There are other stores."**

"Plus, we got your measurements," Yang said, holding up a small piece of paper. "Now we can buy you obligatory gifts."

" **Excuse me?"**

"You know, for holidays and your birthday. You _have_ gotten gifts on your birthday before, right?"

"… **I'm an amnesiac. I can't answer that."**

"Oh, right. Amnesiac, forgot about that."

" **Also, wouldn't it be more practical to just give someone money, so they can get whatever they want?"**

"Actually, that happens more often than you think," said Weiss. "In fact, it's becoming a more popular trend among parents."

" **Really? Why is that?"**

"Many reasons. Mostly parents or loved ones not really caring much about what to get their kids and friends."

"Or being too worried about what to get," chimed in Ruby. "I had a classmate who couldn't decide what to get for her boyfriend's birthday. Made her really worried, so she gave up and got him some Lien."

"Wow," Blake said. "That, sounds kind of cheap. Did he get mad?"

"No, she said he understood after she explained how she got really worried about it."

"Huh."

"Oh, that reminds me," Ruby said as she pulled out her wallet. "Rider, can you hold out your hand?"

Rider looked at her for a moment before doing so, receiving two Lien cards from Ruby.

" **What's this for?"** he asked.

"Well, I know you'll probably want to buy things by yourself, whenever you walk around the city by yourself. So, this is to help you out. I know twenty Lien isn't much, but it can help."

" **You didn't have to do that."**

"I know. That's why it's called a gift."

"Hey, let me join in," Yang said, holding out her own Lien cards. "This makes it fifty, now. Blake, you wanna throw some in?"

The brunette looked at Yang for a moment before looking at Ruby, the look on her face asking if she was serious. Ruby merely nodded with a smile, and Blake sighed in defeat before pulling out her wallet. She held out two Lien cards to Rider.

"Now it's ninety," she said.

"And now it's one-hundred-ninety," said Weiss, holding out a yellow Lien card. "Here you are, Rider. Let it never be said that Team RWBY wasn't generous with their money."

" **Thank you,"** he said, pocketing the Lien.

"I don't suppose this means we're done shopping for Rider for today?" Blake asked.

"No, there are still some essentials he needs," Weiss said, arms crossed. "First and foremost, the unmentionables."

"You mean underwear?" Yang asked bluntly.

"Yes, the underwear. After that, I suppose he could use some notebooks and basic office supplies, such as pens and papers. All of which can be bought for cheap at discount stores. Other than that, I suppose it's up to him."

"Well, on that note, where do you wanna go ne – oomph! Hey, what gives?"

Rider had stopped without warning, causing Yang to bump into him. He was looking down an alleyway, though at what was unknown. The girls looked at him, then down the alley. It had dirty walls, a dumpster, a few trash bags, and what appeared to be a homeless man slumped against a wall.

"Uh, Rider?" Ruby asked. "Are you okay?"

" **I heard a crow,"** he said. " **Cawing, just a second ago."**

"Yeah, crows do that," Weiss said. "What's wrong with that?"

" **I'll be right back."**

Rider put the bags down and walked into the alley, the girls hesitant on following him. Eventually Ruby walked in after him, Yang following her and Blake going in next. Weiss, torn between going into a dirty alley and staying in the cleaner street, eventually relented and followed her teammates. The three girls were standing away from Rider and the homeless man, an old, pale man with thin, pale brown hair and a short, scraggly beard of gray and brown. He wore grungy brown pants, a gray undershirt, an oversized gray button-up shirt missing a sleeve, and sandals. A heavy navy blue jacket rested on the ground next to him. He wasn't even looking at Rider or the girls, instead keeping his gaze towards the ground.

"What do you want?" he asked wearily. "I have nothin' worth takin'."

" **You simply caught my attention,"** Rider said. " **I came to investigate."**

The homeless man hesitated before looking up to Rider, his eyes widening for a moment before grim acceptance showed on his face.

"You here to take me, Grim Reaper? Good, 'cause I'm ready. Take my soul, be it to salvation or damnation."

" **You mistake me for someone else. My name is Rider. And I'm not taking your soul anywhere."**

"Then what the hell do you want? To laugh? To kick me?"

" **Kick you? I think the world has done enough damage to you as is. No, I'm not here to kick you. Truth be told, I'm only here because a crow's caw and a gut feeling pulled me into this alley."**

The homeless man stared at Rider in confusion before looking at the girls. Each merely shrugged or shook their heads, unable to give an explanation. So, he looked back at Rider.

"A crow? You serious?"

" **Completely."**

"...you're crazy, comin' in here 'cause of some bird."

" **Maybe I am. But that's of no consequence to you, for I have a proposition for you."**

At this point Rider crouched down next to him, pulling out the Lien cards that Team RWBY had given him earlier. The homeless man eyed them in shock before sitting up and staring at the big man in confusion.

"What…what are you proposing'?"

" **In exchange for one-hundred-ninety Lien, you let me try on your gray shirt. And if I like it, I keep it."**

"That-that's it?"

" **That's all."**

"Rider!" exclaimed Weiss. "Are you seriously going to try out that, tattered, disgusting shirt?!"

" **Yes. I am."**

"But, but that's –"

" **My choice. So, what say you?"**

"You…you're really gonna hand over all that money, just for a ratty shirt?" asked the homeless man.

" **Yes, I am. Though it has its uses, money is of little importance to me. Besides, don't you think it's time something good happened to you?"**

The vagrant hesitated for a few moments, pondering Rider's words before finally pulling off the gray shirt and holding it out to Rider. Rider took the shirt and dropped the Lien cards into the waiting hands of the other. Once done, he gripped the shirt in both hands and twirled it behind him, his arms slipping through the sleeve and armhole smoothly. He took a moment to let it settle on his shoulders before inspecting it, looking at each part and testing the feel of it as he moved in certain ways. Still unbuttoned, it had a relaxed fit on Rider. Other than the tattered parts, it looked like a regular button-down. Parts of the hem and tail had small rips going up the shirt, giving it a minor tail feather-like effect. There were a few small holes scattered about, the biggest no bigger than two inches. The tail reached just past his pants pockets, easily covering them. Finally, there was a breast pocket on his left side, with something silver sticking out of it. Rider opened the pocket and pulled the item of suspicion out, revealing what looked like a sharpened knitting needle.

"I'm, uh, gonna need that back," the homeless man said.

" **Here,"** Rider said, giving it back. " **I never caught your name."**

"Gray. I'm Gray. You?"

" **Rider,"** he said before taking the left sleeve and ripping it off. " **I like this shirt. I'll take it."**

" **OH, COME ON!"** exclaimed Weiss, to the ear pain of the other girls. "OUT OF ALL THE SHIRTS YOU'VE TRIED, **THIS** IS THE ONE YOU LIKE?!"

" **Yes, it is."**

"WHY?!"

" **I like the feel of it."**

"But, but –"

" **I don't see why you're complaining. After all, I'm no longer shirtless."**

Weiss, trying to argue against Rider, ended up stammering in incomprehension and frustration at him until finally, she stopped, her face unreadable. She spun around and briskly walked away, the rest of Team RWBY looking worriedly at her as she walked out of the alley. Ruby, looking at Rider for a moment, ran after the white haired maiden, leaving Yang and Blake with Rider and Gray.

"Well," Blake said. "That was, unexpected."

"Yeah," said Yang. "Don't think anyone expected you'd get Weiss to be frustrated, by doing what she wanted you to do."

" **I'm full of surprises,"** Rider said. " **Now all I need, is a mask. After all, you're right. Nurse Lily wouldn't approve of me taking medical wraps just to cover my face."**

"Wait a minute, you heard all of that?" Blake asked surprised.

" **I did, as well as the other conversations. You weren't exactly whispering. I don't remember all of them, though. I wasn't paying full attention to them."**

"Does," began Yang, "does this mean you heard Weiss –"

" **Say I look like a walking corpse, and you, Blake, calling me untrustworthy? Yes, I did. You're both right, and I think what Weiss said is actually quite funny."**

"I, I see," Blake said, looking down. "I'm sorry for –"

" **Don't apologize. You were being honest, and there's no reason to be sorry for that. I'm not."**

"…well then," Yang said. "Where are we gonna find a mask?"

"A mask?" asked Gray, looking pensive. "I think I have one. Hold on a sec."

Gray made his way to one of the nearby trash bags, pulling it open and digging through it. He began pulling out random pieces of clothing before, finally, pulling out what looked like a big black piece of sagging cloth with a gray smudge on it.

" **What is this?"** Rider asked.

"It's a tube mask," Gray said, putting it in Rider's hands. "It goes over your head and covers the bottom half of your face. And, you can pull the rear end over your head to hide even more of your face. But, sorry 'bout the spot. It was like that when I found it; think it got bleach in it or somethin'."

Rider examined the mask, turning it over in his hands and pulling at it at parts. It was elastic, and it felt nice in his hands. Light, but not quite as fragile as cotton. Looking up at Gray, he nodded at him before walking to a far corner of the alley, his back to the others as he undid the wrappings. The rest of the group waited in suspense, watching as the wraps fell to the floor. Finally, he pulled the tube over his head, pulling it down to his neck and under all his hair before pulling it back up to cover his face. Job done, he walked back to the group to show his mask. The gray part covered where his mouth was, narrowing down to nearly a faded point at the chin. Overall, it looked like a spectral figure. Combined with Rider's piercing orange eyes, the effect was clear when it caused Gray to inadvertently step back in momentary fear. Blake and Yang, meanwhile, looked stunned and impressed, respectively.

"Looking good, Rider," Yang said with a smile and thumbs-up. "How does it feel?"

" **A little itchy,"** he said, " **but it will do. Thank you."**

"Y-you're welcome," he stuttered. "Thanks for the Lien."

"Welp, that's two things off the to-do list! So, wanna go show Weiss and Ruby?"

"Lead the way."

The girls turned and walked out the alley, Rider following them and Gray watching them go before sitting against the wall and looking at the Lien cards in his hands and pondering just how good today had been to him. He looked to the sky above while a smile grew on him, hope reigniting within him. As he sat there, he noticed movement nearby and turned his gaze to his left. Up on the top of the alleyway, sat a crow a little bigger than most crows around Vale. It looked a little roughed up, as if it had been flying in a storm. At its feet was something small and white, something he couldn't make out from where he sat. Its eyes, as opposed to the dark brown or black of typical crows, were instead bright yellow. Its eyes almost seemed to glow with a dim light. What stood out to Gray most of all, though, was not a physical feature of the crow. Instead, it was the feeling of dread that came from looking at it, like something bad was going to happen soon. With a caw the crow grasped the white item and took flight, to parts unknown. After taking all of that in, Gray stood up and grabbed his trash bag.

"Somethin' bad's gonna happen," he said to himself. "I just know it."

* * *

[Hey guys, Guardian here. SO, SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR THIS CHAPTER! Life and trouble with figuring out how to write this chapter got in the way. I know, poor excuse, but that's all I can say.

However, I have an announcement to make. So as to speed things up, I'm gonna cut out a few things I wanted to write into the story. For those of you wondering what I'll be cutting out, it's mostly side stuff. Things that, when I think about it, probably won't progress the plot that much. They'd be lovely to read, but probably not imnportant. HOWEVER, that's not to say you won't see them. Rather, I'll be making them into BONUS CHAPTERS! This means that, should I fall into a writing slump with the plot and need to buy time, I'll be throwing a bonus chapter to keep you guys entertained (hopefully ^.^*). Also, future predictions: they probably won't be very long, the bonus chapters.

Also, I'll have to rescind a promise I made. I don't know how long the main chapters will take, and whenever I try to force myself to write it the chapter either doesn't make much progress or turns out shitty. I can promise that I'll be writing them out, but I can't promise you guys how long they'll take. I am sorry. :(

Steven and Gray are my characters, created for this story. Like with Nurse Lily, if they happen to share the same names as OC's of those who read this, it's purely coincidental. I came up with these two off the top of my head.

In case you're wondering, yes. I got the idea for Rider's new mask from Call of Duty: Ghosts. I'm not saying that's exactly what it looks like. Rather, it looks close. Like a wispy copy of the bottom half of his old mask.

Thanks, again, to **almost stupid** and **Archfiend1244** for proofreading and editing my stuff.

Like before I'll need to take a break. Not a long one, just enough to get back into the swing of writing and figure out the gritty details of the next few chapters.

As always, if you find any missed errors, please let me know via comments. And let me know what you guys think! Interesting days, peaceful nights!]


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